''Porites furcata'', commonly known as hump coral, thin finger coral or branched finger coral, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

stony coral Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mo ...

in the genus ''

Porites ''Porites'' is a genus of stony coral; they are small polyp stony (SPS) corals. (Also referred to as finger coral or hump coral) They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-de ...

''. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

''Porites furcata'' is a colonial coral forming clumps of short, slender lobes with rounded tips, often densely packed together. It sometimes forms extensive patches several square metres (yards) in area. The colour of this coral is yellow or pale brown and the lobes grow to a diameter of . The interior parts of the coral often have a purplish tinge and are dead, perhaps killed off by the increased shading and lack of water circulation caused by newer growth above. This species is intermediate in appearance between ''

Porites porites ''Porites porites'', commonly known as hump coral or finger coral, is a species of stony coral in the genus ''Porites''. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean and also along the coast of West Africa. Description ''Porites p ...

'' which has branches wide and ''

Porites divaricata ''Porites'' is a genus of stony coral; they are small polyp stony (SPS) corals. (Also referred to as finger coral or hump coral) They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-deve ...

'', the branches of which are under wide.

Distribution and habitat

''Porites furcata'' is found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas and southern Florida from low water mark down to depths of about . It has not been found in Bermuda. Its preferred habitat is back reefs but it also occurs in other parts of the reef. In areas where this species is common, the dead, basal parts of the coral are responsible for most of the coral rubble on the reef. Grooves can sometimes be seen cutting across the colonies of this species. These are caused by heavy detached chunks of massive coral being moved across the reef during severe storms. Fossils of this species have been found in Florida dating back to the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

Ecology

''Porites furcata'' is a

zooxanthella Zooxanthellae (; zooxanthella) is a colloquial term for single-celled photosynthetic organisms that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including corals, jellyfish, demosponges, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthell ...

te coral, the tissues containing unicellular green algae living

symbiotically Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term

photosynthetic Photosynthesis ( ) is a Biological system, system of biological processes by which Photoautotrophism, photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical ener ...

and use the

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

and waste products of the coral while at the same time supplying oxygen and organic compounds to their host. The polyps are often extended during the day. The niches and crevices in this coral are home to a range of invertebrates and other organisms including

brittle star Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomot ...

sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

s, polychaete worms,

chiton Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora ( ), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as sea cradles or coat-of-mail shells or suck ...

s and

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

Status

''Porites furcata'' is listed as being of "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

" in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

. This is because it is a common species throughout its range and the population seems stable. It is a fairly adaptable species being found in a range of habitats but it is particularly susceptible to

bleaching Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

. Its chief threat is the loss of reef habitat through mechanical damage, violent storms, a rise in sea temperatures,

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's ocean. Between 1950 and 2020, the average pH of the ocean surface fell from approximately 8.15 to 8.05. Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are the primary cause of ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

, increased

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...

and tourism.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3319026 Poritidae Cnidarians of the Atlantic Ocean Cnidarians of the Caribbean Sea Marine fauna of North America Marine fauna of South America Corals described in 1816 Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck