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Skeletal Organization in Caribbean Acropora Spp. (Lamarck)

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Origin, Evolution, and Modern Aspects of Biomineralization in Plants and Animals

Abstract

The size and morphology of calcium carbonate crystals of the exoskeletons of the Caribbean Scleractinian coral species of the genus Acoropora are described. The fundamental units of the skeleton are the trabeculae, which are linearly aggrading spherulitic fans of polycrystalline aragonite fiber bundles. Each spherulitic fan originates from a center of calcification (Ogilvie, 1896; Wells, 1956) that is composed of packets of submicron calcium carbonate crystals in an amorphous matrix. The nucleating packets appear to have an intracellular origin and their production stimulated by zooxanthellate photosynthesis.

“Although the zooxanthellae seem to play an important role in determining calcification rates in reef-building corals, certain, as yet unknown, physiological factors operate to control the basic mineralization process in a manner which bears no obvious relationship to the number of algae present in a given species. This is illustrated by the fact that large apical polyps of some of the branching acroporid corals contain few zooxanthellae but calcify several times faster per unit of tissue nitrogen than the yellowish brown lateral polyps which are literally stuffed with algae.” —T.F. Goreau (1959:67)

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Author notes

  1. Brent R. Constantz

    Present address: NORIAN, 1025 Terra Bella, Mt. View, CA, 94043, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Sciences Board, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Brent R. Constantz

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  1. Brent R. Constantz
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA

    Rex E. Crick

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© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Constantz, B.R. (1989). Skeletal Organization in Caribbean Acropora Spp. (Lamarck). In: Crick, R.E. (eds) Origin, Evolution, and Modern Aspects of Biomineralization in Plants and Animals. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6114-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6114-6_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-6116-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-6114-6

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