| Crisp pillow coral | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Close up of corallites | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Coscinaraeidae |
| Genus: | Anomastraea Marenzeller, 1901 |
| Species: | A. irregularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Anomastraea irregularis Marenzeller, 1901 [1] | |
Anomastraea is a monotypic genus of corals in the family Coscinaraeidae. [2] It is represented by a single species, the crisp pillow coral (Anomastraea irregularis). [1] [3]
The crisp pillow coral forms small, mound-like colonies that grow to be about 20 cm in height and make a blue-grey and cream color. [3] Like other corals that form colonies, it consists of soft, little polyps that are assisted with small tentacles that guide food in the water to the coral's mouth. The polyps discharge a skeleton made of calcium carbonate known as corallite which would participate in the formation of coral reefs. The corallites establish an uneven honey-comb pattern. [3]
As a member of the family Siderastreidae, it is a zooxanthellate, living in harmony with zooxanthellae, a unicellular algae, which aids the coral in its growth and survival. The coral protects the algae with its tissue as the algae helps the host with energy and nutrients, as well as removing metabolic waste. However, the crisp pillow coral is restricted to staying in shallow waters where the zooxanthellae can execute photosynthesis. [3]
The crisp pillow coral is found on the East African coast, the southern area of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, north and southwestern Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf. However, it is not found in the Chagos Archipelago. [1] It is also known in small areas around Madagascar and islands near it.
It is populated in shallow and sandy, tropical coral reef systems. At the base of the reefs and intertidal pools, it lives in turbid water, usually to about 20 m in depth. [1]
Although the zooxanthellae provides about 70% of the coral's nutrients through photosynthesis, the coral may also prey upon zooplankton, dissolved organic matter, and planktonic bacteria. [3]
The crisp pillow coral is threatened to extinction with a decreasing population. The principal threat is the rising sea temperature due to global warming and the increasing climate. This expels the zooxanthellae from the coral, leaving it weak and prone to many diseases without the aid of the algae. The climate change also is expected to increase ocean acidification and destructive weather, such as storms that destroy the coral reefs. [1] [3]
The crown-of-thorns starfish is a voracious predator of coral reefs. Since the 1970s, an increasing population of the crown-of-thorns starfish has broken out, consuming more corals in the reefs. [1] [3] Human activity has caused the outbreak of the crown-of-thorn starfish. The overfishing of unprotected reefs may deplete much of the population of the predators of the crown-of-thorn starfish, such as the humphead wrasse. The triton snail, another natural predator, is being collected for its valuable shell. Nutrients from agriculture wash off to the oceans, causing phytoplanktons population increases, which gives more food for the starfish larvae. [4]
Other causes of the declining population of the crisp pillow coral are pollution, destructive fishing practices, human activity, and invasive species. [1] [3] [5]
The crisp pillow coral is listed on the Appendix II of CITES, protecting the species from being traded without a permit. Current research is being conducted to ensure the safety of the crisp pillow coral.
Anthozoa is a class of marine invertebrates which includes the sea anemones, stony corals and soft corals. Adult anthozoans are almost all attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as part of the plankton. The basic unit of the adult is the polyp; this consists of a cylindrical column topped by a disc with a central mouth surrounded by tentacles. Sea anemones are mostly solitary, but the majority of corals are colonial, being formed by the budding of new polyps from an original, founding individual. Colonies are strengthened by calcium carbonate and other materials and take various massive, plate-like, bushy or leafy forms.
The crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, is a large starfish that preys upon hard, or stony, coral polyps (Scleractinia). The crown-of-thorns starfish receives its name from venomous thorn-like spines that cover its upper surface, resembling the biblical crown of thorns. It is one of the largest starfish in the world.
Elkhorn coral is an important reef-building coral in the Caribbean. The species has a complex structure with many branches which resemble that of elk antlers; hence, the common name. The branching structure creates habitat and shelter for many other reef species. Elkhorn coral is known to grow quickly with an average growth rate of 5 to 10 cm per year. They can reproduce both sexually and asexually, though asexual reproduction is much more common and occurs through a process called fragmentation.
Porites astreoides, commonly known as mustard hill coral or yellow porites, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Poritidae.
Porites lobata, known by the common name lobe coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Poritidae. It is found growing on coral reefs in tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Siderastrea radians, also known as the lesser starlet coral or the shallow-water starlet coral, is a stony coral in the family Siderastreidae. It is found in shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean as small, solid mounds or encrusting sheets.
Acropora aspera is a species of staghorn coral in the family Acroporidae. It is found on reef flats and in lagoons in very shallow water in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Isophyllia sinuosa, the sinuous cactus coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Mussidae. It is found in shallow water in the tropical western Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.
Lobophyllia corymbosa, also known as lobed cactus coral or brain root coral, is a species of large polyp stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae. It occurs on reefs in shallow waters in the Red Sea, off the coast of East Africa, and in other parts of the tropical Indo-Pacific.
Micromussa lordhowensis, previously known as the 'Acan Lord', is a species of stony coral in the family Lobophylliidae. It is a widespread and common coral with large polyps occurring on shallow reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It was originally classified under the genus Acanthastrea, and reclassified under the genus Micromussa in 2016.
Pavona cactus, the cactus coral, potato chip coral or leaf coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Agariciidae. This coral is found in shallow waters on reefs and in lagoons in tropical parts of the Indo-Pacific region.
Pocillopora verrucosa, commonly known as cauliflower coral, rasp coral, or knob-horned coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Acropora nasuta is a species of branching stony coral in the family Acroporidae. It is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific where it is found in shallow reef habitats. Like other corals of the genus Acropora, it is susceptible to coral bleaching and coral diseases and the IUCN has listed it as being "Near Threatened".
Acropora abrotanoides is a species of acroporid coral found in Indo-Pacific waters from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden east to the East China Sea, Japan, the central Pacific Ocean and Australia. It is found in shallow coral reefs that are exposed to the action of strong waves, at depths up to 15 m. It is vulnerable to coral bleaching, disease and crown-of-thorns starfish. It is resistant to predation as it has well-developed radial corallite lips.
Acropora cerealis is a species of acroporid coral found throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans, from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the Hawaiian Islands and the Johnston Atoll. It can be found on upper reef slopes in shallow tropical reefs, from depths of 3–20 m. Crown-of-thorns starfish preferentially prey upon Acropora corals, and this species is also harvested for the aquarium trade.
Acropora digitifera is a species of acroporid coral found in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, Australia, Southeast Asia, the central Indo-Pacific, Japan, the west Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea. It is found in shallow areas of tropical reefs in the back margins, from depths of 0 to 12 m. It was described by Dana in 1846.
Dipsastraea speciosa is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Turbinaria is a genus of colonial stony corals in the family Dendrophylliidae. Common names for this genus include disc coral, scroll coral, cup coral, vase coral, pagoda coral and ruffled ridge coral. These corals are native to the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Japan and the south Central Pacific Ocean.
Porites cylindrica, commonly known as hump coral, is a stony coral of the subclass Hexacorallia in the class Anthozoa. Hexacorallia differ from other subclasses in that they have 6 or fewer axes of symmetry. Members of this class possess colonial polyps which can be reef-building, secreting a calcium carbonate skeleton. They are dominant in both inshore reefs and midshelf reefs.
The poleward migration of coral species refers to the phenomenon brought on by rising sea temperatures, wherein corals are colonising cooler climates in an attempt to circumvent coral bleaching, rising sea levels and ocean acidification. In the age of Anthropocene, the changing global climate has disrupted fundamental natural processes and brought about observable changes in the submarine sphere. Whilst coral reefs are bleaching in tropical areas like the Great Barrier Reef, even more striking, and perhaps more alarming; is the growth of tropical coral species in temperate regions, which has taken place over the past decade. Coral reefs are frequently compared to the "canaries in the coal mine," who were used by miners as an indicator of air quality. In much the same way, "coral reefs are sensitive to environmental changes that could damage other habitats in the future," meaning they will be the first to visually exhibit the true implications of global warming on the natural world.
