Lophelia
Lophelia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Hexacorallia |
Order: | Scleractinia |
Family: | Caryophylliidae |
Genus: | Lophelia Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849 |
Species: | L. pertusa
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Binomial name | |
Lophelia pertusa | |
Known range ( NOAA )
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Synonyms [1] | |
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Lophelia pertusa, the only species in the genus Lophelia,
Biology
Lophelia pertusa is a reef building, deep water coral, but it does not contain
As a coral, it represents a
The colony grows by budding new polyps, with living ones emerging around the outer edges of deceased coral. Coral colonies reproduce asexually through fragmentation. Each colony is gendered, engaging in sexual reproduction by releasing sperm or oocytes into the sea. The larvae, which do not feed but rely on their yolk reserves, drift with plankton for weeks. Upon settling on the seabed, they undergo metamorphosis, developing into polyps capable of initiating new colonies.[7]
Lophelia reefs can grow to 35 m (115 ft) high. The largest recorded Lophelia reef,
These reefs are ancient, with a growth rate of around 1 mm per year.Polyps at the end of branches feed by extending their tentacles and straining plankton from the seawater. They are able to ingest particles of up to 2 cm, and are able to discriminate between food and sediment using their chemoreceptors to differentiate between the two. Growth of polyps depends on environmental factors such as food availability, water quality, and how the water flows.[9]
L. pertusa are considered to be opportunistic feeders since they feed on particles of organic matter that have been broken down. [10] Hence, the spring bloom of phytoplankton and subsequent zooplankton blooms provide the main source of nutrient input to the deep sea. This rain of dead plankton is visible on photographs of the seabed and stimulates a seasonal cycle of growth and reproduction in Lophelia. This cycle is recorded in patterns of growth, and can be studied to investigate climatic variation in the recent past.
Conservation status
L. pertusa was listed under
The primary threats arise from the devastation of reefs caused by the use of heavy deep-sea
Scientists estimate that trawling has damaged or destroyed 30%–50% of the
In 1999, the
In recent years, environmental organizations such as Greenpeace have argued that exploration for oil on the north west continental shelf slopes of Europe should be curtailed due to the possibility that is it damaging to the Lophelia reefs - conversely, Lophelia has recently been observed growing on the legs of oil installations,[13] specifically the Brent Spar rig which Greenpeace campaigned to remove. At the time, the growth of L. pertusa on the legs of oil rigs was considered unusual,[14] although recent studies have shown this to be a common occurrence, with 13 of 14 North Sea oil rigs examined having L. pertusa colonies.[15] The authors of the original work suggested that it may be better to leave the lower parts of such structures in place— a suggestion opposed by Greenpeace campaigner Simon Reddy, who compared it to "[dumping] a car in a wood – moss would grow on it, and if I was lucky a bird may even nest in it. But this is not justification to fill our forests with disused cars".[16]
Recovery of damaged L.pertusa will be a slow process not only due to its slow growth rate, but also due to its low rates of colonization and recolonization process. This is because even if L.pertusa produces a dispersive larva, a sediment free surface is required to initiate a new settlement. Moreover, excessive sedimentation and chemical contaminants will negatively impact the larvae, even when they are available in large numbers.[17]
As ocean temperatures continue to rise due to global warming, climate change is another deadly factor that threatens the existence of L. pertusa. Although L. pertusa can survive changes in oxygen levels during periods of hypoxia and anoxia, they are vulnerable to sudden temperature changes. These fluctuations in temperature affect their metabolic rate, which has detrimental consequences regarding their energy input and growth. [18]
Ecological significance
Lophelia beds create a specialized habitat favored by some species of deep water fishes. Surveys have recorded that
L. pertusa also forms a symbiosis with polychaete Eunice norvegica. It is suggested that E. norvegica positively influences L.pertusa by forming connecting tubes, which are later calcified, in order to strengthen the reef frameworks. While E. norvegica requires partial consumption of the food obtained by L. pertusa, E. norvegica aids in cleaning the living coral framework and protecting it from potential predators.[19]
Foraminiferans including Hyrrokkin sarcophaga also carry out a parasitic relationship with L. pertusa by attaching to polyps on the coral. Although settlement and reproduction are carried out by H. sarchophaga, this parasitism is not detrimental to the coral.[9]
Range
L. pertusa has been reported from
References
- ^ Bert Hoeksema (2011). "Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
- ^ Stephen Cairns & Bert Hoeksema (2011). "Lophelia Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1849". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ Cheryl L. Morrison; Robin L. Johnson; Tim L. King; Steve W. Ross; Martha S. Nizinski (2008). "Molecular assessment of deep-sea scleractinian coral biodiversity and population structure of Lobelia pertusa in the Gulf of Mexico". In Kenneth J. Sulak; Michael Randall; Kirsten E. Luke; April D. Norem; Jana M. Miller (eds.). Characterization of Northern Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Hard Bottom Communities with Emphasis on Lophelia Coral – Lophelia Reef Megafunal Community Structure, Biotopes, Genetics, Microbial Ecology, and Geology (2004–2006) (PDF). United States Geological Survey. pp. 4-1–4-77. USGS Open-File Report 2008-1148.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2011. Alboran Sea. eds. P. Saundry & C. J. Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
- ^ ISSN 1434-2944.
- ISSN 1434-2944.
- ^ a b c Shaw, E.; Sussman, S. (2014). "Lophelia pertusa". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ Coral reefs in Norway (2002). Large Lophelia pertusa reef discovered off Røst in Lofoten. Archived 2012-08-29 at the Wayback Machine Institute of Marine Research, Norway.
- ^ S2CID 87985061.
- PMID 28392575.
- ^ a b "Deep Water Corals". coris.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
- S2CID 40904134.
- S2CID 85598319.
- S2CID 4401771. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
- .
- ^ "Oil rig home to rare coral". BBC News. 8 December 1999. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- .
- ISSN 0022-0981.
- PMID 23536808.
- UNEP, and as such, is incomplete, and affected by development of marine science in that country, and effort put into surveying for it.[citation needed]
External links
- Media related to Lophelia pertusa at Wikimedia Commons
- Lophelia.org – Cold-water coral resource