Details
Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral is a branching Atlantic reef-building coral. Its antlerlike colonies create three-dimensional shelter for many reef animals.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives on warm Atlantic coral reefs, especially clear, shallow, ocean-facing sites. Strong light and moving water support colony growth.
Colony width 50-200 cm; weight 500 g-20 kg. Branches divide like deer antlers and are covered with tiny polyps. Living tissue is brownish to pale, and broken branches can reattach and grow.
Cathemeral and colonial, it opens or closes polyps with conditions. Fragmentation is important, as broken pieces may become new colonies.
A filter-feeder, it captures plankton and organic particles with polyps. Symbiotic algae provide much of its energy through photosynthesis.
Colonies release eggs and sperm during mass spawning, and fragments also reproduce asexually when they settle. Larvae need hard substrate for attachment.
It is listed as Critically Endangered. Bleaching, disease, storms, and coastal degradation have caused major declines, and restoration often uses nurseries and transplants.
