Acropora is a genus of small polyp stonycoral in the phylum Cnidaria.[3] Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral. Over 149 species are described.[4]Acropora species are some of the major reef corals responsible for building the immense calcium carbonate substructure that supports the thin living skin of a reef.
Flight through a μCT image stack of an Acropora coral from three views; the "arms" are mostly hollow. This coral had been hot glued onto a stone and later grew over it.
Depending on the species and location, Acropora species may grow as plates or slender or broad branches. Like other corals, Acropora corals are colonies of individual polyps, which are about 2 mm across and share tissue and a nerve net. The polyps can withdraw back into the coral in response to movement or disturbance by potential predators, but when undisturbed, they protrude slightly. The polyps typically extend further at night to help capture plankton and organic matter from the water.
The species are distributed in the Indo-Pacific (over 100 species) and Caribbean (3 species). However, the true number of species is unknown: firstly, the validity of many of these species is questioned as some have been shown to represent hybrids, for example Acropora prolifera;[5] and secondly, some species have been shown to represent cryptic species complexes.[6]
Threatsedit
Flight around a three-dimensional object created from the data above
Symbiodinium, symbioticalgae, live in the corals' cells and produce energy for the animals through photosynthesis. Environmental destruction has led to a dwindling of populations of Acropora, along with other coral species. Acropora is especially susceptible to bleaching when stressed. Bleaching is due to the loss of the coral's zooxanthellae, which are a golden-brown color. Bleached corals are stark white and may die if new Symbiodinium cells cannot be assimilated. Common causes of bleaching and coral death include pollution, abnormally warm water temperatures, increased ocean acidification, sedimentation, and eutrophication.
In 2014 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed ten Acropora species as 'threatened'.[7]
Reef-keepingedit
Close-up of a network of Acropora polyps
Most Acropora species are brown or green, but a few are brightly colored, and those rare corals are prized by aquarists. Captive propagation of Acropora is widespread in the reef-keeping community. Given the right conditions, many Acropora species grow quickly, and individual colonies can exceed a meter across in the wild. In a well-maintained reef aquarium, finger-sized fragments can grow into medicine ball-sized colonies in one to two years. Captive specimens are steadily undergoing changes due to selection which enable them to thrive in the home aquarium. In some cases, fragments of captive specimens are used to repopulate barren reefs in the wild.[8]
Acropora species are challenging to keep in a home aquarium. They require bright light, stable temperatures, regular addition of calcium and alkalinity supplements, and clean, turbulent water.
Acropora (Acroporidae) at French Frigate Shoals, northwestern Hawaiian IslandsA. tenuis cells of the IVB5 line and symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellate Breviolum minutum (Suessiales) — in vitro: Symbiotic interactions of coral cells (b and c) and dinoflagellates (x and y). Coral cell b interacted with symbiont x, but did not incorporate it, whereas coral cell c endocytosed both x and y.
The following species are recognised in the genus Acropora:[10]
^Wallace, C. C; Rosen, B. R (2006-04-22). "Diverse staghorn corals (Acropora) in high-latitude Eocene assemblages: implications for the evolution of modern diversity patterns of reef corals". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 273 (1589): 975–982. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3307. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC1560246. PMID 16627283.
^Vollmer, S.; Palumbi, S. (2002). "Hybridization and the Evolution of Reef Coral Diversity". Science. 296 (5575): 2023–2025. Bibcode:2002Sci...296.2023V. doi:10.1126/science.1069524. PMID 12065836. S2CID 27411642.
^Ladner, Jason T.; Palumbi, Stephen R. (2012). "Extensive sympatry, cryptic diversity and introgression throughout the geographic distribution of two coral species complexes". Molecular Ecology. 21 (9): 2224–2238. Bibcode:2012MolEc..21.2224L. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05528.x. PMID 22439812. S2CID 14392894.
^U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Adding 20 Coral Species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife" (PDF). Federal Register. 79 (219): 67356–67359.
^. The Global Coral Repository. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
^Rawlinson, K. A.; Gillis, J. A.; Billings, R. E.; Borneman, E. H. (2011). "Taxonomy and life history of the Acropora-eating flatworm Amakusaplana acroporae nov. sp. (Polycladida: Prosthiostomidae)". Coral Reefs. 30 (3): 693–705. Bibcode:2011CorRe..30..693R. doi:10.1007/s00338-011-0745-3. S2CID 45979645.
^"WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Acropora Oken, 1815". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
Further readingedit
Reyes-Bermudez, Alejandro; Lin, Zhiyi; Hayward, David C.; Miller, David J.; Ball, Eldon E. (2009). "Differential expression of three galaxin-related genes during settlement and metamorphosis in the scleractinian coral Acropora millepora". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9 (1): 178. Bibcode:2009BMCEE...9..178R. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-178. PMC2726143. PMID 19638240.
Shinzato, Chuya; Shoguchi, Eiichi; Kawashima, Takeshi; Hamada, Mayuko; Hisata, Kanako; Tanaka, Makiko; Fujie, Manabu; Fujiwara, Mayuki; Koyanagi, Ryo; Ikuta, Tetsuro; Fujiyama, Asao; Miller, David J.; Satoh, Nori (2011). "Using the Acropora digitifera genome to understand coral responses to environmental change". Nature. 476 (7360): 320–323. Bibcode:2011Natur.476..320S. doi:10.1038/nature10249. PMID 21785439.
acropora, genus, small, polyp, stony, coral, phylum, cnidaria, some, species, known, table, coral, elkhorn, coral, staghorn, coral, over, species, described, species, some, major, reef, corals, responsible, building, immense, calcium, carbonate, substructure, . Acropora is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria 3 Some of its species are known as table coral elkhorn coral and staghorn coral Over 149 species are described 4 Acropora species are some of the major reef corals responsible for building the immense calcium carbonate substructure that supports the thin living skin of a reef AcroporaTemporal range Late Paleocene recent 1 PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Acropora pulchra Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Cnidaria Class Hexacorallia Order Scleractinia Family Acroporidae Genus AcroporaOken 1815 2 Species See text Synonyms ListHeteropora Ehrenberg 1834 Madrepora Conocyathus Brook 1893 Madrepora Distichocyathus Brook 1893 Madrepora Eumadrepora Brook 1893 Madrepora Lepidocyathus Brook 1893 Madrepora Odonthocyathus Brook 1893 Madrepora Polystachys Brook 1893 Madrepora Rhabdocyathus Brook 1893 Madrepora Trachylopora Brook 1893 Madrepora Tylopora Brook 1893 Contents 1 Anatomy and distribution 2 Threats 3 Reef keeping 4 Species 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksAnatomy and distribution edit source source source source source source source Flight through a mCT image stack of an Acropora coral from three views the arms are mostly hollow This coral had been hot glued onto a stone and later grew over it Depending on the species and location Acropora species may grow as plates or slender or broad branches Like other corals Acropora corals are colonies of individual polyps which are about 2 mm across and share tissue and a nerve net The polyps can withdraw back into the coral in response to movement or disturbance by potential predators but when undisturbed they protrude slightly The polyps typically extend further at night to help capture plankton and organic matter from the water The species are distributed in the Indo Pacific over 100 species and Caribbean 3 species However the true number of species is unknown firstly the validity of many of these species is questioned as some have been shown to represent hybrids for example Acropora prolifera 5 and secondly some species have been shown to represent cryptic species complexes 6 Threats edit source source source source source source source Flight around a three dimensional object created from the data above Symbiodinium symbiotic algae live in the corals cells and produce energy for the animals through photosynthesis Environmental destruction has led to a dwindling of populations of Acropora along with other coral species Acropora is especially susceptible to bleaching when stressed Bleaching is due to the loss of the coral s zooxanthellae which are a golden brown color Bleached corals are stark white and may die if new Symbiodinium cells cannot be assimilated Common causes of bleaching and coral death include pollution abnormally warm water temperatures increased ocean acidification sedimentation and eutrophication In 2014 the U S Fish and Wildlife Service listed ten Acropora species as threatened 7 Reef keeping edit nbsp Close up of a network of Acropora polyps Most Acropora species are brown or green but a few are brightly colored and those rare corals are prized by aquarists Captive propagation of Acropora is widespread in the reef keeping community Given the right conditions many Acropora species grow quickly and individual colonies can exceed a meter across in the wild In a well maintained reef aquarium finger sized fragments can grow into medicine ball sized colonies in one to two years Captive specimens are steadily undergoing changes due to selection which enable them to thrive in the home aquarium In some cases fragments of captive specimens are used to repopulate barren reefs in the wild 8 Acropora species are challenging to keep in a home aquarium They require bright light stable temperatures regular addition of calcium and alkalinity supplements and clean turbulent water Common parasites of colonies in reef aquariums are Acropora eating flatworms Amakusaplana acroporae 9 and red bugs Tegastes acroporanus Species edit nbsp Acropora Acroporidae at French Frigate Shoals northwestern Hawaiian Islands nbsp A tenuis cells of the IVB5 line and symbiosis with photosynthetic dino flagellate Breviolum minutum Suessiales in vitro Symbiotic inter actions of coral cells b and c and dino flagellates x and y Coral cell b inter acted with symbiont x but did not in cor porate it whereas coral cell c endo cytosed both x and y The following species are recognised in the genus Acropora 10 Acropora abrolhosensis Veron 1985 Acropora abrotanoides Lamarck 1816 Acropora acervata Dana 1846 Acropora aculeus Dana 1846 Acropora acuminata Verrill 1864 Acropora alvarezi Wallace 2008 Acropora anglica Duncan 1866 Acropora anthocercis Brook 1893 Acropora arabensis Hodgson and Carpenter 1995 Acropora arafura Wallace Done amp Muir 2012 Acropora aspera Dana 1846 Acropora austera Dana 1846 Acropora awi Wallace and Wolstenholme 1998 Acropora bartonensis Wallace 2008 Acropora batunai Wallace 1997 Acropora borneoensis Felix 1921 Acropora branchi Riegl 1995 Acropora britannica Wallace 2008 Acropora bushyensis Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora capillaris Klunzinger 1879 Acropora cardenae Wells 1986 Acropora carduus Dana 1846 Acropora caroliniana Nemenzo 1976 Acropora cerealis Dana 1846 Acropora cervicornis Lamarck 1816 staghorn coral Acropora chesterfieldensis Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora clathrata Brook 1891 Acropora cytherea Dana 1846 Acropora darrellae Santodomingo Wallace amp Johnson 2015 Acropora deformis Michelin 1840 Acropora dendrum Bassett Smith 1890 Acropora derawaensis Wallace 1997 Acropora desalwii Wallace 1994 Acropora digitifera Dana 1846 Acropora divaricata Dana 1846 Acropora donei Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora downingi Wallace 1999 Acropora duncani Reuss 1866 Acropora echinata Dana 1846 Acropora elegans Milne Edwards and Haime 1860 Acropora elenae Santodomingo Wallace amp Johnson 2015 Acropora elseyi Brook 1892 Acropora emanuelae Santodomingo Wallace amp Johnson 2015 Acropora eurystoma Klunzinger 1879 Acropora fastigata Nemenzo 1967 Acropora fennemai Gerth 1921 Acropora fenneri Veron 2000 Acropora filiformis Veron 2000 Acropora florida Dana 1846 Acropora gemmifera Brook 1892 Acropora glauca Brook 1893 Acropora globiceps Dana 1846 Acropora gomezi Veron 2000 Acropora grandis Brook 1892 Acropora granulosa Milne Edwards and Haime 1860 Acropora haidingeri Reuss 1864 Acropora halmaherae Wallace and Wolstenholme 1998 Acropora hasibuani Santodomingo Wallace amp Johnson 2015 Acropora hemprichii Ehrenberg 1834 Acropora herklotsi Reuss 1866 Acropora hoeksemai Wallace 1997 Acropora horrida Dana 1846 Acropora humilis Dana 1846 Acropora hyacinthus Dana 1846 Acropora indonesia Wallace 1997 Acropora intermedia Brook 1891 Acropora jacquelineae Wallace 1994 Acropora japonica Veron 2000 Acropora kimbeensis Wallace 1999 Acropora kirstyae Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora kosurini Wallace 1994 Acropora lamarcki Veron 2000 Acropora latistella Brook 1892 Acropora laurae Santodomingo Wallace amp Johnson 2015 Acropora lavandulina Michelin 1840 Acropora listeri Brook 1893 Acropora loisetteae Wallace 1994 Acropora lokani Wallace 1994 Acropora longicyathus Milne Edwards and Haime 1860 Acropora loripes Brook 1892 Acropora lovelli Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora lutkeni Crossland 1952 Acropora macrocalyx Wallace amp Bosselini 2015 Acropora microclados Ehrenberg 1834 Acropora microphthalma Verrill 1869 Acropora millepora Ehrenberg 1834 Acropora monticulosa Brueggemann 1879 Acropora mossambica Riegl 1995 Acropora multiacuta Nemenzo 1967 Acropora muricata Linnaeus 1758 Acropora nana Studer 1878 Acropora nasuta Dana 1846 Acropora natalensis Riegl 1995 Acropora ornata DeFrance 1828 Acropora palmata Lamarck 1816 elkhorn coral Acropora palmerae Wells 1954 Acropora paniculata Verrill 1902 Acropora papillare Latypov 1992 Acropora pectinata Veron 2000 Acropora pharaonis Milne Edwards and Haime 1860 Acropora pichoni Wallace 1999 Acropora piedmontensis Wallace amp Bosselini 2015 Acropora plumosa Wallace and Wolstenholme 1998 Acropora polystoma Brook 1891 Acropora prolifera Lamarck 1816 fused staghorn coral Acropora proteacea Wallace 2008 Acropora proximalis Veron 2000 Acropora pulchra Brook 1891 Acropora renemai Santodomingo Wallace amp Johnson 2015 Acropora retusa Dana 1846 Acropora ridzwani Ditlev 2003 Acropora robusta Dana 1846 Acropora roemeri Duncan 1866 Acropora rongelapensis Richards amp Wallace 2004 Acropora roseni Wallace 1999 Acropora rudis Rehberg 1892 Acropora rufa Veron 2000 Acropora russelli Wallace 1994 Acropora salentina Wallace amp Bosselini 2015 Acropora samoensis Brook 1891 Acropora sarmentosa Brook 1892 Acropora secale Studer 1878 Acropora selago Studer 1878 Acropora seriata Ehrenberg 1834 Acropora serrata Lamarck Acropora simplex Wallace and Wolstenholme 1998 Acropora sirikitiae Wallace Phongsuwan amp Muir 2012 Acropora slovenica Wallace amp Bosselini 2015 Acropora solanderi Defrance 1828 Acropora solitaryensis Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora sordiensis Riegl 1995 Acropora spathulata Brook 1891 Acropora speciosa Quelch 1886 Acropora spicifera Dana 1846 Acropora squarrosa Ehrenberg 1834 Acropora striata Verrill 1866 Acropora subglabra Brook 1891 Acropora subulata Dana 1846 Acropora suharsonoi Wallace 1994 Acropora sukarnoi Wallace 1997 Acropora tanegashimensi s Veron 1990 Acropora tenella Brook 1892 Acropora tenuis Dana 1846 Acropora torihalimeda Wallace 1994 Acropora tortuosa Dana 1846 Acropora tuberculosa Milne Edwards 1860 Acropora turaki Wallace 1994 Acropora valenciennesi Milne Edwards and Haime 1860 Acropora valida Dana 1846 Acropora variolosa Klunzinger 1879 Acropora vaughani Wells 1954 Acropora verweyi Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora walindii Wallace 1999 Acropora willisae Veron and Wallace 1984 Acropora wilsonae Wallace 2008 Acropora yongei Veron and Wallace 1984References edit Wallace C C Rosen B R 2006 04 22 Diverse staghorn corals Acropora in high latitude Eocene assemblages implications for the evolution of modern diversity patterns of reef corals Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences 273 1589 975 982 doi 10 1098 rspb 2005 3307 ISSN 0962 8452 PMC 1560246 PMID 16627283 WoRMS 2010 Acropora Oken 1815 WoRMS World Register of Marine Species Retrieved 2012 02 10 Acropora Integrated Taxonomic Information System Acropora at Encyclopedia of Life Archived 2011 08 12 at the Wayback Machine Vollmer S Palumbi S 2002 Hybridization and the Evolution of Reef Coral Diversity Science 296 5575 2023 2025 Bibcode 2002Sci 296 2023V doi 10 1126 science 1069524 PMID 12065836 S2CID 27411642 Ladner Jason T Palumbi Stephen R 2012 Extensive sympatry cryptic diversity and introgression throughout the geographic distribution of two coral species complexes Molecular Ecology 21 9 2224 2238 Bibcode 2012MolEc 21 2224L doi 10 1111 j 1365 294X 2012 05528 x PMID 22439812 S2CID 14392894 U S Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants Adding 20 Coral Species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife PDF Federal Register 79 219 67356 67359 Restoration The Global Coral Repository 2011 Archived from the original on 2011 12 19 Retrieved 2011 12 08 Rawlinson K A Gillis J A Billings R E Borneman E H 2011 Taxonomy and life history of the Acropora eating flatworm Amakusaplana acroporae nov sp Polycladida Prosthiostomidae Coral Reefs 30 3 693 705 Bibcode 2011CorRe 30 693R doi 10 1007 s00338 011 0745 3 S2CID 45979645 WoRMS World Register of Marine Species Acropora Oken 1815 www marinespecies org Retrieved 2018 05 28 Further reading editReyes Bermudez Alejandro Lin Zhiyi Hayward David C Miller David J Ball Eldon E 2009 Differential expression of three galaxin related genes during settlement and metamorphosis in the scleractinian coral Acropora millepora BMC Evolutionary Biology 9 1 178 Bibcode 2009BMCEE 9 178R doi 10 1186 1471 2148 9 178 PMC 2726143 PMID 19638240 Shinzato Chuya Shoguchi Eiichi Kawashima Takeshi Hamada Mayuko Hisata Kanako Tanaka Makiko Fujie Manabu Fujiwara Mayuki Koyanagi Ryo Ikuta Tetsuro Fujiyama Asao Miller David J Satoh Nori 2011 Using the Acropora digitifera genome to understand coral responses to environmental change Nature 476 7360 320 323 Bibcode 2011Natur 476 320S doi 10 1038 nature10249 PMID 21785439 External links edit nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Acropora nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acropora Acropora Integrated Taxonomic Information System Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Acropora amp oldid 1212157865, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
