Madracis auretenra: Difference between revisions
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==Ecology== |
==Ecology== |
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''Madracis auretenra'' is a [[zooxanthellae|zooxanthellate]] coral, housing [[Symbiosis|symbiotic]] single-celled protists within its tissues. These provide the products of [[photosynthesis]] to the coral and use some of the coral's waste products. To supplement this food supply, the coral |
''Madracis auretenra'' is a [[zooxanthellae|zooxanthellate]] coral, housing [[Symbiosis|symbiotic]] single-celled protists within its tissues. These provide the products of [[photosynthesis]] to the coral and use some of the coral's waste products. To supplement this food supply, the coral [[polyp]]s spread their [[tentacle]]s to catch [[zooplankton]], feeding mostly on the larvae of [[crustacean]]s, [[Polychaete|polychaete worms]] and [[Chaetognatha|arrow worms]].<ref name=Bermuda/> |
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''Madracis auretenra'' is a [[hermaphrodite]]; individual colonies contain both male and female [[gonad]]s. Liberation of [[gamete]]s into the sea is linked to the phase of the moon and other factors. After fertilisation, the [[planula]] larvae form part of the [[plankton]] and eventually settle on the seabed and undergo [[metamorphosis]] into polyps.<ref name=Bermuda/> In some instances, ''Madracis auretenra'' has been observed to retain the gametes on its [[Mesentery (zoology)|mesenteries]] and pseudo-brood the larvae briefly before liberating them into the sea.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Harrison, Peter L. |year=2011 |title=Sexual Reproduction of Scleractinian Corals |journal=Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition |pages=59–85 |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-0114-4_6 }}</ref> |
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''Madracis auretenra'' also reproduces readily by [[Fragmentation (reproduction)|fragmentation]], a form of [[asexual reproduction]]. Even quite small fragments of the coral are able to survive and grow into new colonies. Survival rates in trial studies varied between 29 and 81%, with the rates being highest in fore-reef environments and lowest in lagoons where there were higher levels of sedimentation.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Bruno, John F. |year=1998 |title=Fragmentation in ''Madracis mirabilis'' (Duchassaing and Michelotti): how common is size-specific fragment survivorship in corals? |journal=Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology |volume=230 |issue=2 |pages=169–181 |doi=10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00080-X }}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 18:30, 27 May 2015
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| Broken yellow finger coral showing colony structure | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | M. auretenra
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| Binomial name | |
| Madracis auretenra Locke, Weil & Coates, 2007 [1]
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Madracis auretenra, commonly known as the yellow finger coral or yellow pencil coral, is a colonial species of stony coral in the family Astrocoeniidae. It is a fairly common species and is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.
Description
Madracis auretenra forms hemispherical clumps that can be a metre or more across. Each colony is formed of densely-packed, cylindrical branches with blunt, finger-like tips. In fore-reef habitats the branches are slender but in back-reef and lagoon habitats they are more robust and the clumps are larger. The hard skeletal material of which the colony is built is in most coral species covered by a thin layer of living tissue, the coenosarc. Madracis auretenra is unusual in this respect because, as the coral grows, the coenosarc progressively dies back on the lower parts of the branches leaving the skeleton bare, and only the tips of the branches are covered with living tissue.[2] The corallites are from 1.1 to 1.6 mm (0.04 to 0.06 in) in diameter and have at least ten septa. This coral is bright yellow.[3]
Ecology
Madracis auretenra is a zooxanthellate coral, housing symbiotic single-celled protists within its tissues. These provide the products of photosynthesis to the coral and use some of the coral's waste products. To supplement this food supply, the coral polyps spread their tentacles to catch zooplankton, feeding mostly on the larvae of crustaceans, polychaete worms and arrow worms.[2]
Madracis auretenra is a hermaphrodite; individual colonies contain both male and female gonads. Liberation of gametes into the sea is linked to the phase of the moon and other factors. After fertilisation, the planula larvae form part of the plankton and eventually settle on the seabed and undergo metamorphosis into polyps.[2] In some instances, Madracis auretenra has been observed to retain the gametes on its mesenteries and pseudo-brood the larvae briefly before liberating them into the sea.[4]
Madracis auretenra also reproduces readily by fragmentation, a form of asexual reproduction. Even quite small fragments of the coral are able to survive and grow into new colonies. Survival rates in trial studies varied between 29 and 81%, with the rates being highest in fore-reef environments and lowest in lagoons where there were higher levels of sedimentation.[5]
References
- ^ a b Hoeksema, Bert (2015). "Madracis auretenra Locke, Weil & Coates, 2007". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^ a b c Fay, Johnna P. "Yellow Finger Coral (Madracis mirabilis)". Marine Invertebrates of Bermuda. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^ De Kluijver, M.; Gijswijt, G,; de Leon, R.; da Cunda, I. "Yellow pencil coral (Madracis mirabilis)". Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Harrison, Peter L. (2011). "Sexual Reproduction of Scleractinian Corals". Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition: 59–85. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0114-4_6.
- ^ Bruno, John F. (1998). "Fragmentation in Madracis mirabilis (Duchassaing and Michelotti): how common is size-specific fragment survivorship in corals?". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 230 (2): 169–181. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00080-X.