Sediments formation from corals

Where the waves and currents weaken, resuspended sediment settles back down to the seafloor. Given the small particle sizes of the suspended material (mostly 3 to 10 pm), redeposition can take many years. The resulting redistribution of sediments creates patches of clay, mud, and exposed rock on the continental margins. In other words, resuspension from waves and currents can cause some sediments to become reUct deposits. Hard bottoms can serve as good habitats for some members of the benthos as they promote the formation of coral reefs. For paleoceanographers, relict deposits are problematic because they represent gaps, or imconformities, in the sedimentary record. 

Palytoxin is a complex marine natural product containing 71 stereochemical elements (Fig. 5). The structure of PTX was elucidated by Moore. PTX is isolated from a zoanthid (order Zoanthidea) a type of soft coral commonly found in coral reefs all around the world. These animals come in a variety of different colonizing formations and in numerous colors. They can be found as individual polyps, attached by a fleshy stolon or a mat that can be created from pieces of sediment, sand and rock (soft coral). PTX is considered to be one of the most toxic nonpeptide substances known, second only to Maitotoxin. Typical symptoms of palytoxin poisoning are angina-like chest pains, asthma-like breathing difficulties, tachycardia, unstable blood pressure, hemolysis (destruction of red blood... 

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