<descriptor thcode="62"><thesaurus thcode="62" name="Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard" scope="Categories of ecosystems for coastal, estuarine, and marine environments." creator="FGDC" rights="public domain" date="2017-05-10" codetype="alpha" prefix="cmecs" uri="https://www2.usgs.gov/science/CMECS" tblname="cmecs" root_code="root" contact="pschweitzer"><category><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/></category><altlabel><altlabel>CMECS</altlabel><altlabel>CMECS</altlabel><altlabel>Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)</altlabel><altlabel>Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)</altlabel></altlabel></thesaurus><term thcode="62" code="BC-421" name="Shallow/Mesophotic Coral Reef Biota" parent="BC-390" scope="Biotic Subclass: Areas with ample light that are dominated by hermatypic (reef-building) hard corals or non-hermatypic reef colonizers. ..."/><bt><term thcode="62" code="BC-390" name="Reef Biota" parent="BC-389" scope="Biotic Class: Areas dominated by reef-building fauna, including living corals, mollusks, polychaetes or glass sponges. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-389" name="Benthic/Attached Biota" parent="BC-C002" scope="Biotic Setting: This biotic setting describes areas where biota lives on, in, or in close association with the seafloor or other substrates (e.g., pilings, buoys), extending down into the sediment to include the sub-surface layers of substrate that contain multi-cellular life. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-C002" name="Biotic" parent="root"/><term thcode="62" code="root" name="CMECS" scope="Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard: Category terms encompassing waters from the head of tide or inland incursion of ocean salinity to the splash zone of the coasts to the deepest portions of the oceans and the deep waters of the Great Lakes."/></bt><nt><term thcode="62" code="BC-492" name="Branching Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Reefs in shallow or mesophotic situations dominated by branching corals (includes arborescent, arboreal, digitate, corymbose, ramose, and elkhorn corals) that grow in a tree-like shape and have numerous branches, some with secondary branches. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-501" name="Colonized Shallow/Mesophotic Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Tropical coral reef substrate where live reef building corals are present, but not clearly dominant. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-493" name="Columnar Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Areas dominated by columnar corals that emerge from a massive base in a pillar form and do not branch. They are commonly found in mild water flow at mid-depth water levels."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-494" name="Encrusting Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Reefs or reef-like, rocky structures dominated by encrusting corals (also called crustose corals) that (a) cover the substrate in a sheet and (b) expand in diameter rather than height. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-495" name="Foliose Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Areas dominated by foliose corals that have a vase-like structure and whorl-like growth pattern similar to the open petals of a flower. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-496" name="Massive Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Reefs dominated by massive corals (also known as boulder or mound corals) that are characteristically ball- or boulder-shaped and relatively slow growing. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-500" name="Mixed Shallow/Mesophotic Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Areas where multiple coral growth forms are present and none are clearly dominant."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-497" name="Plate Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Reefs dominated by plate corals that grow in a flattened plate, saucer-like, or thin sheet fashion?often in a terraced pattern. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-498" name="Table Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Reefs dominated by table corals that form platforms that are made up of small, tightly packed branches. Table corals are usually found in shallow waters. See Figure 8.7 for an example of the table coral growth form."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-499" name="Turbinate Coral Reef" parent="BC-421" scope="Biotic Group: Areas dominated by turbinate corals that are cone shaped. Turbinate corals are often found in calmer water at mid-depth levels, often on back reef-slopes."/></nt></descriptor>