Table of Contents
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Overview
Brief Summary
Biology
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UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=1318
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Comprehensive Description
Biology: Skeleton
| Author | Skeleton? | Mineral or Organic? | Mineral | Percent Magnesium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrios-Su?z et al., 2002 | YES | MINERAL | ARAGONITE | |
| Cairns, Hoeksema, and van der Land, 1999 | YES | MINERAL | ARAGONITE |
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Distribution
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UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=1318
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MacNae, W. & M. Kalk (eds) (1958). A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Witwatersrand Univ. Press, Johannesburg. I-iv, 163 pp.
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=6266
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Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/porifera.php?p=sourcedetails&id=145245
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Miloslavich P, Díaz JM, Klein E, Alvarado JJ, Díaz C, et al. (2010) Marine Biodiversity in the Caribbean: Regional Estimates and Distribution Patterns. PLoS ONE 5(8): e11916. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011916
http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/porifera.php?p=sourcedetails&id=145466
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Nunes FLD, Norris RD, Knowlton N. (2011). Long Distance Dispersal and Connectivity in Amphi-Atlantic Corals at Regional and Basin Scales. PLoS ONE 6(7): e22298.
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=162909
© WoRMS for SMEBD
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World Register of Marine Species
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Range Description
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
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IUCN
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National Distribution
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Widepsread distribution in the tropical western Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico, southern Florida, Bahamas, NW Caribbean, Puerto Rico, lesser Antilles, Central America, Brazil and Bermuda. B71SMI01FCUS: Bermuda, Florida, Bahamas, West Indies. B78COL01FCUS: Caribbean, Bermuda, northwestern Gulf of Mexico. A84BRI01FCUS, A88NEL01FCUS, A83FAR01FCUS, A88TUN01FCUS: Gulf of Mexico. A82CAI01FCUS: Belize. A85REE01FCUS, A88LAN01FCUS: Bahamas. A59GOR01FCUS, A67GOR01FCUS, A73WEL01FCUS, A79FOS01FCUS, A85HUG01FCUS, A81LID01FCUS, A87LID00FCUS, A90GAT01FCUS, A82DAL01FCUS: Jamaica. A88FEN00FCUS, A81JOR01FCUS: Mexico. B82ZLA01FCUS, A74KUH01FCUS: Cuba and Brazil. A76LOY01FCUS, A81DOD01FCUS, A63ALM01FCUS, A70PRE01FCUS, A89GOE01FCUS: Puerto Rico. A87TOM01FCUS, A79DUN01FCUS, A83ROG01FCUS, A84LEW01FCUS, A76GOO01FCUS, A68ADA01FCUS, A85HUB01FCUS, A72ROB01FCUS: lesser Antilles. A74SCA01FCUS, A79BAK01FCUS, A78FOC01FCUS, A75BAK01FCUS, A77BAK01FCUS: Curacao and Bonaire. A84LAS02FCUS: Panama. A83RAM01FCUS: Venezuela. A85COR01FCUS: Costa Rica. A92KNO01FCUS: Panama. B86STE01FCUS, A85FRI01FCUS, A74SCO01FCUS, A82DOD01FCUS, A78DRY01FCUS: Bermuda. A73GOL00FCUS, B84JAA0FCUS, A88JAA01FCUS, J89JAA00FCUS, J88WHE00FCUS, A85BUR00FCUS, A85WHI01FCUS, A79JAA00FCUS, A85CUR01FCUS, A77JON01FCUS, A82DAV00FCUS, A87DUS00FCUS, A85DUS01FCUS, A77DUS00FCUS: southern Florida.
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Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
Systems
- Marine
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Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 6179 samples.
Environmental ranges
Depth range (m): 0 - 103.875
Temperature range (°C): 19.819 - 28.067
Nitrate (umol/L): 0.115 - 8.028
Salinity (PPS): 34.667 - 36.613
Oxygen (ml/l): 3.986 - 4.773
Phosphate (umol/l): 0.042 - 0.379
Silicate (umol/l): 0.805 - 5.080
Graphical representation
Depth range (m): 0 - 103.875
Temperature range (°C): 19.819 - 28.067
Nitrate (umol/L): 0.115 - 8.028
Salinity (PPS): 34.667 - 36.613
Oxygen (ml/l): 3.986 - 4.773
Phosphate (umol/l): 0.042 - 0.379
Silicate (umol/l): 0.805 - 5.080
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.
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Habitat Type: Marine
Comments: Overall depth range from .3-82 m, but typically occurs between 3-45 m on all reef classes.
A67GOR01FCUS: 0.3 to 80 m, typically 3 to 45 m. A73GOL00FCUS: patch reefs (9 m), outer reef platform (16-20 m), reef slope (20-30 m) and fore reef (30+ m). A82CAI01FCUS: all reef environments. B86STE01FCUS: 1 to 30 m, inner and outer reefs, open inshore waters. B84JAA00FCUS, J88WHE00FCUS, A85BUR00FCUS, A85WHI01FCUS: bank reefs, spur and groove reefs. A76LOY01FCUS: reef flat and fore reef. A87TOM01FCUS: reef flat, spur and groove and back reef. A88JAA01FCUS: dominant patch reef species.
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Migration
Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
SEDENTARY
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Population Biology
Number of Occurrences
Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.
Estimated Number of Occurrences: 81 to >300
Comments: Information is needed on the number of occurrences in the tropical western Atlantic.
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Global Abundance
2500 - 10,000 individuals
Comments: Occurs on a wide variety of reef community classes, including low-relief hardbottom communities, patch reefs, fringing reefs, spur and groove reefs, transitional reefs, deeper intermediate reefs and deep reef slopes.
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General Ecology
A84PET01FCUS, A90WIL01FCUS, A81ANT02FCUS, A77DUS00FCUS, A83RAM01FCUS: black band disease, algal overgrowth due to damselfish. A84LAS02FCUS, A89GOE01FCUS, A90GHI01FCUS, A90WIL01FCUS, A90HAY01FCUS, A79JAA00FCUS: susceptible to bleaching (loss of zooxanthellae) due to adverse environmental conditions. A92COL01FCUS: tolerance to salinity below 43 ppt. A82DAL01FCUS, A85PAS01FCUS, A74ALL01FCUS: moderate sensitivity to sedimentation and inverse relation between growth and resuspension of bottom sediments. A82ROB00FCUS: used as temperature stress indicator. A87TOM01FCUS: growth rate faster on less polluted reefs.
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Life History and Behavior
Reproduction
A86SZM00FCUS, A85SZM01FCUS, A91SZM01FCUS: hermaphroditic protogynous with gametogenesis for females between mid-may to July and for males from July to August. Spawning takes place from mid-August to September with low reported recruitment rates (A79BAK01FCUS). A91TOM02FCUS: recruitment absent on eutrophication reefs on the west coast of Barbados. High sexual recruitment on non-polluted spur and groove reef communities.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Barcode data: Montastraea annularis
There are 5 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
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Download FASTA File
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Statistics of barcoding coverage: Montastraea annularis
Public Records: 5
Specimens with Barcodes: 5
Species With Barcodes: 1
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© Ocean Genome Legacy
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Ocean Genome Resource
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Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
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IUCN
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National NatureServe Conservation Status
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked
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NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
Reasons: Widespread distribution in the tropical western Atlantic and is abundant on most classes of reef communities. Species threats listed include chronic sedimentation, disease, bleaching and eutrophication but is moderately tolerant to environmental perturbation.
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Trends
Population
Off the northern coast of Belize, declines upwards of 90% were recorded specifically for M. annularis (Burke et al. 2004).
The age of first maturity of most reef building corals is typically three to eight years (Wallace 1999) and therefore we assume that average age of mature individuals is greater than eight years. Furthermore, based on average sizes and growth rates, we assume that average generation length is 10 years, unless otherwise stated. Total longevity is not known, but likely to be more than ten years. Therefore any population decline rates for the Red List assessment are measured over at least 30 years. Follow the link below for further details on generation length estimates.
Population Trend
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
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IUCN
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Global Short Term Trend: Relatively stable (=10% change)
Comments: Information is needed on the status and trend of extant populations.
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Threats
In general, the major threat to corals is global climate change, in particular, temperature extremes leading to bleaching and increased susceptibility to disease, increased severity of ENSO events and storms, and ocean acidification.
Coral disease has emerged as a serious threat to coral reefs worldwide and a major cause of reef deterioration (Weil et al. 2006). The numbers of diseases and coral species affected, as well as the distribution of diseases have all increased dramatically within the last decade (Porter et al. 2001, Green and Bruckner 2000, Sutherland et al. 2004, Weil 2004). Coral disease epizootics have resulted in significant losses of coral cover and were implicated in the dramatic decline of acroporids in the Florida Keys (Aronson and Precht 2001, Porter et al. 2001, Patterson et al. 2002). Escalating anthropogenic stressors combined with the threats associated with global climate change of increases in coral disease, frequency and duration of coral bleaching and ocean acidification place coral reefs at high risk of collapse.
Localized threats to corals include fisheries, human development (industry, settlement, tourism, and transportation), changes in native species dynamics (competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites), invasive species (competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites), dynamite fishing, chemical fishing, pollution from agriculture and industry, domestic pollution, sedimentation, and human recreation and tourism activities.
The severity of these combined threats to the global population of each individual species is not known.
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IUCN
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Degree of Threat: C : Not very threatened throughout its range, communities often provide natural resources that when exploited alter the composition and structure over the short-term, or communities are self-protecting because they are unsuitable for other uses
Comments: Not considered threatened due to moderate tolerance to sedimentation but incidence of disease and bleaching well documented.
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Management
Conservation Actions
All corals are listed on CITES Appendix II.
Recommended measures for conserving this species include research in taxonomy, population, abundance and trends, ecology and habitat status, threats and resilience to threats, restoration action; identification, establishment and management of new protected areas; expansion of protected areas; recovery management; and disease, pathogen and parasite management. Artificial propagation and techniques such as cryo-preservation of gametes may become important for conserving coral biodiversity.
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Biological Research Needs: Data needed on recruitment patterns and susceptibility to eutrophication, disease and sedimentation for each subspecies or form.
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Global Protection: Few to several (1-12) occurrences appropriately protected and managed
Comments: Numerous occurrences in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Biscayne National Park and Dry Tortugas, Florida.
Needs: Mooring buoys need to be installed proximate to populations.
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Wikipedia
Montastraea annularis
Montastraea annularis, commonly known as the boulder star coral, is a species of coral that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean and is the most thoroughly studied and most abundant species of reef-building coral in the Caribbean to date.[1] It also has a comprehensive fossil record within the Caribbean.[2][3] This species complex has long been considered a generalist that exists at depths between 0 and 80 meters[4] that grew into varying colony shapes (heads, columns, plates) in response to differing light conditions.[5] Only recently with the help of molecular techniques has M. annularis been shown to be a complex of at least three separate species.[6][7][8] Those species are divided into M. annularis, M. faveolata, and M. franksi.
A related species is M. cavernosa, which has larger polyps.
References
- ^ Dawson, J. P. 2006. "Quantifying the colony shape of the Montastraea annularis species complex." Coral Reefs. Vol. 25:383-389.
- ^ Budd, A. F.; Stemann, T. A.; Johnson, K. G. 1994. "Stratigraphic distributions of Neogene to recent Caribbean coral reefs." J Paleontol. Vol. 68:951-977.
- ^ Budd, A. F.; Klaus, J. S. The origin and early evolution of the Montastraea 'annularis' species complex (Anthozoa: Scleractinia)." J Paleontol. Vol. 75:527-545.
- ^ Connell, J. H. 1978. "Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs." Science. Vol. 199:1302-1310.
- ^ Graus, R. R.; Macintyre, I. G. 1976. "Control of form in colonial corals: computer simulation." Science. Vol. 193:895-897.
- ^ Knowlton, N.; Weil, E.; Weigt, L. A.; Guzman, G. M. 1992. "Sibling species of Montastraea annularis, coral bleaching, and the coral climate record." Science. Vol. 255:330-333.
- ^ Weil, E.; Knowlton, N. 1994. "A multi-character analysis of the Caribbean coral Montastraea annularis (Ellis and Solander 1786) and its two sibling species, M. faveolata (Ellis and Solander 1786) and M. franksi (Gregory 1895)." Bulletin of Marine Science. Vol. 55:151-175.
- ^ Knowlton, N.; Budd, A. F. 2001. "Recognizing coral species present and past. In: Jackson JBC, Lidgard, S.; McKinney, F. K. (eds) "Evolutionary Patterns: growth, form, and tempo in the fossil record
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Unreviewed
Names and Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Comments: This species may be composed of up to three subspecies or forms (see Knowlton et al., 1992).
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