? Acropora
A high magnification picture of Acropora. Individual polyps can be seen as dark spots.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cnidaria Order: Scleractinia Family: Acroporidae Genus: Acropora Oken, 1815
Species
Acropora cytherea Acropora echinata Acropora humilis Acropora paniculata Acropora valida

Acropora is a genus of coral in the phylum cnidaria. Depending on the species and location, Acropora may grow as plates or slender or broad branches. Like other corals, Acropora corals are actually colonies of individuals, known as polyps, which are about 2 mm across and share tissue and a nerve net. The polyps can withdraw back into the coral in response to movement or disturbance by possible predators, but when undisturbed they protrude slightly. The polyps usually extend further at night as they capture zooplankton from the water. Image File history File links Acropora. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Families Scleractinia, also called stony star corals, are exclusively marine animals; they are very similar to sea anemones but generate a hard skeleton. ... Orders Scleractinia Corals are gastrovascular marine cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria; class Anthozoa) existing as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically forming colonies of many individuals. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Biological tissue is a group of cells that perform a similar function. ... A nerve net is a type of simple nervous system that is found in members of the phylum cnidaria. ...

These corals have zooxanthellae, symbiotic algae that live in the corals' cells and produce energy for the animals through photosynthesis. Environmental destruction has led to a dwindling of populations of Acropora, along with other coral species. Acropora corals are especially succeptible to bleaching when stressed. Bleaching is due to the loss of the coral's zooxanthellae, which are a golden-brown color. Bleached corals are stark white and may die if new zooxanthellae cannot be assimilated. Common causes of bleaching and coral death include pollution, abnormally warm water temperatures, sedimentation and excess nutrients from runoff. Zooxanthellae are golden-brown endosymbionts of various marine animals and protozoa. ... Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ... Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, and are sometimes called the building blocks of life. ... Leaf. ...

Acropora genus corals are most common in shallow reef environments with bright light and moderate to high water motion. Many small reef fishes live near acropora colonies and retreat into the thicket of branches if threatened.

Most acropora corals are brown or green but a few are brightly colored and those rare corals are prized by aquarists. Captive propogation of acropora corals is widespread in the reefkeeping community. If given the right conditons, acropora corals grow quickly and individual colonies can exceed 1 meter across in the wild. In a well maintained reef aquarium, finger-sized fragments can easily grow into basketball-sized colonies in 2 to 3 years.