Branching coral lives on the coral reefs of the Red Sea.
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Branching coral lives on the coral reefs of the Red Sea.
The branching coral genus Acropora is widely distributed worldwide and is divided into several species-rich groups in the Indo-Pacific and a single species-poor group in the Caribbean. Its species are still abundant throughout the Red Sea, but they are considered extinct in the Arabian Gulf because of urban expansion and severe marine heatwaves in recent decades.
Evidence:
In NAKTASHIF worlds:Marine and coastal habitats
Approved version OWNER-REVIEW-20260930T043622960 · last approved 30 September 2026
The genus Acropora includes more than 400 proposed species names and more than 100 described species, and its complex branching growth forms provide habitat and shelter for a wide range of marine organisms. Because it grows fast, is easy to fragment and accumulates biomass quickly, it is a primary target of reef restoration efforts.
Heat stress can cause coral bleaching, but bleaching does not necessarily mean immediate death and may be followed by recovery or further decline.
The genus Acropora has declined sharply in the Caribbean, and the Caribbean staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) is considered an endangered species.
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