Alveopora allingi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alveopora allingi |
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Alveopora allingi is a type of stony coral. It lives in many warm ocean areas, like the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. You can find it near Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, and islands like Palau and the Mariana Islands. This coral can be harmed by coral bleaching. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as a "vulnerable species". This means it faces a high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
What Does Alveopora allingi Look Like?
Colonies of Alveopora allingi can grow in different shapes. They might look like columns, or they can grow flat and cover surfaces. Some colonies have short, bumpy parts called lobes. The individual coral animals, called polyps, are packed closely together. They are soft and long, with a ring of tentacles around their mouths. These tentacles have slightly puffy tips.
How Does This Coral Live?
Alveopora allingi is a zooxanthellate coral. This means it has tiny plant-like helpers living inside its soft body. These helpers are a type of dinoflagellate called zooxanthellae. They have a special partnership with the coral called symbiosis.
These tiny organisms make their own food using sunlight, a process called photosynthesis. They share this food with the coral. In fact, these helpers can provide up to 90% of the energy the coral needs to live and grow! The coral gets its remaining food by catching tiny floating creatures called plankton. It uses its tentacles to grab them from the water.
Why Is Alveopora allingi Vulnerable?
This coral can be affected by coral bleaching. This happens when corals get stressed, often from warm water, and they lose their colorful zooxanthellae. While it doesn't get many diseases, Alveopora allingi is a pretty coral. People sometimes collect it for home aquariums.
All corals are protected under an international agreement called CITES Appendix II. This helps control their trade. The biggest threats to corals today are linked to climate change. These include:
- Damage to their homes, the coral reefs.
- More powerful storms and extreme weather.
- Rising ocean temperatures.
- Ocean acidification, which makes the ocean water more acidic.
Because of these threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has officially listed Alveopora allingi as a "vulnerable" species.
