Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis)

TAXONOMY AND NAMING

Class: Anthozoa
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Acroporidae
Genus: Acropora
Common names:
English: Staghorn coral
Spanish: Coral cuerno de ciervo
French: Corail corne de serf

Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis)© Emre Turak

MORPHOLOGY AND LIFE HISTORY

The staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) is a branching, stony coral with cylindrical branches ranging from a few centimetres to over two metres in length and height. This coral exhibits the fastest growth of all known western Atlantic fringe corals, with branches increasing in length by 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) per year. This has been one of the three most important Caribbean corals in terms of its contribution to reef growth and fishery habitat.

The dominant mode of reproduction for staghorn corals is asexual, with new colonies forming when branches break off a colony and reattach to the substrate. This life history trait allows rapid population recovery from physical disturbances such as storms. However, it makes recovery from disease or bleaching episodes (where entire colonies or even entire stands are killed) very difficult.
Sexual reproduction is via broadcast spawning of gametes into the water column once each year in August or September. Individual colonies are both male and female (simultaneous hermaphrodites) and will release millions of gametes.

DISTRIBUTION

A. cervicornis occurs in back reef and fore reef environments from 0 to 30 m (0 to 98 ft) depth. The upper limit is defined by wave forces, and the lower limit is controlled by suspended sediments and light availability.

Staghorn coral is found throughout the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean islands. This coral occurs in the western Gulf of Mexico, but is absent from U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as Bermuda and the west coast of South America. The northern limit is on the east coast of Florida, around Palm Beach, Florida.

Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) geographic range©IUCN red list

THREATS

The main threats are a combination of coral disease and bleaching as well as other stressors such as pollution and predation. The preponderance of asexual reproduction in this species raises the possibility that genetic diversity in the remnant populations may be very low. These uncertainties as to recruitment/recovery potential and genetic status are the basis for conservation concerns for this species.

ABUNDANCE AND CONSERVATION STATUS

From 1970 to 2020, there has been a significant decline in the population of Acropora cerviconis in the Florida Keys. It has been listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN.

International convention and protection for staghorn coral

Bibliography

Aronson, R.; Bruckner, A.; Moore, J.; Precht, B. & E. Weil (2008). "Acropora cervicornis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2008: e.T133381A3716457. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T133381A3716457.en
Richards, Z.T.; Miller, D.J.; Wallace, C.C. (2013). "Molecular phylogenetics of geographically restricted Acropora species: Implications for threatened species conservation". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Elsevier BV. 69 (3): 837–851. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.020. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 23850500.