noun
- plural of madreporian; members of the order Madreporaria, a group of stony corals that build coral reefs
Usage: zoology; technical; also called scleractinian corals
Examples
- Madreporians are the primary architects of tropical coral reef ecosystems.
- The madreporians in this reef have adapted to shallow, warm waters.
- Scientists study madreporians to understand how climate change affects coral bleaching.
- These madreporians secrete calcium carbonate skeletons that form the reef structure.