Poultry, Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences
Open Access

Brain Corals

Arsalan Egbal^{* *}Correspondence: Arsalan Egbal, Department of Zoology, University of Inuka, Jacmel, Haiti, Email:

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About the Study

Brain coral may be a common name given to varied corals within the families Mussidae and Merulinidae, so called thanks to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Usually they are found in shallow warm water coral reefs altogether the world's oceans. They’re a part of the Cnidaria, in a class called Anthozoa or "flower animals. Life span of these interesting looking organisms is 900 years and may grow as tall as six feet. Each stony coral is made by genetically identical polyps which secrete a tough exoskeleton of carbonate. This makes stony coral one among the foremost important reef builders. In feeding, these brainy corals extend their tentacles in the dark, which rope in small drifting organisms. They also feed off nutrients fed to them by algae which live within their maze-like walls. Within the daytime, the stony coral uses its tentacles to hide the grooves on its outer surface. The most common subspecies of stony coral, Favia is additionally known to use its rangy tentacles aggressively, stinging its coral neighbors within the dead of night. The stony coral also relies on its hard shell to guard it from severe hurricanes and lunging or overexcited large fish.

Corals, in particular, are susceptible to a number of diseases including black band disease, white band disease, and coral bleaching.

Black Band Disease

Black band disease was first described in the early 1970s as a black band moving on the surface of star corals (Monstastrea spp.) and brain corals (Diploria spp.). It is primarily caused by bacteria called Phormidium corallyticum. Symptoms are black band moving across the surface of coral colonies, leaving exposed white skeleton, entire colonies could also be killed within months. Black band disease occurs when corals are stressed by environmental factors including sedimentation, nutrient levels, pollution, and high water temperatures. These stressors primarily exist during the summer months in the Florida Keys.

White Band Disease

White band disease was discovered when biologists observed the peeling of tissue from colonies of elkhorn and staghorn (Acropora spp.) corals in waters of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This tissue loss resulted during a distinct line of bare white skeleton, after which this disease is named. Although scientists are unsure about the explanation for this disease, it's suspected that algal overgrowth of the coral maybe the first cause. White band disease progresses from the bottom of the colony up towards the ideas of the branches. Bare, white coral skeleton is left behind, colonized by filamentous algae. White band disease has had a devastating impact on the corals within the Caribbean, with the infection of roughly half the shallow water elkhorn corals within the primary five years after this disease was first observed. White band disease also devastated reefs within the key, killing 95% of all Acropora corals. Even today, the presence of this disease remains evident on many reefs throughout the Caribbean.

Scientists are unsure of the cause however algae overgrowth may be the culprit. Symptoms are tissue peels from colonies of elkhorn and staghorn corals, leaving exposed white skeleton, Bare skeleton is quickly colonized by filamentous algae.

Coral Bleaching

Coral bleaching occurs through the loss of the symbiotic algae found in living coral tissue. These zooxanthellae are responsible for giving healthy coral a brownish or greenish coloration. When these algae are lost, the white coloration of the underlying skeleton is visible through the translucent coral tissue. Partial bleaching may occur, resulting in only partial loss of zooxanthellae from the colony, as well as total bleaching when the entire coral colony appears bleach white. Bleaching is believed to be caused by stressful environmental conditions. Symptoms are Loss of symbiotic algae leaves translucent coral tissue and Colonies appear white from the underlying skeleton.