Emily Johnson
Mushroom corals are a type of coral that resembles mushrooms in shape. They have a mouth, slit-like in the centre, and tentacles. Some species of mushroom corals have multiple mouths. These corals are usually solitary marine animals capable of benthic locomotion. Mushroom corals are suspension feeders, collecting food particles from seawater through hair-like cilia on their surface.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mushroom shape | Oval, domed, disc-like, or mushroom-like |
| Mouth | Slit-like, multiple, dotted all over the surface, or one big mouth |
| Tentacles | Sparse, short or long and luxurious |
| Attachment | Unattached, attached to rocks, or skeletal remains of dead corals |
| Feeding | Suspension feeders, using hair-like cilia to collect food particles and carry them to the mouth |
| Self-righting | Can right themselves if overturned |
| Colony formation | Solitary or colonial |
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What You'll Learn
Some mushroom corals have multiple mouths
Mushrooms are fungi that typically grow in cooler, damp environments. While they don't have mouths like humans, some mushroom-like corals possess mouth-like structures that allow them to feed and interact with their environment. These are known as corallimorpharia corals, commonly referred to as mushroom corals.
Mushroom corals are distinct from other corals by their oral disc, which is an umbrella-shaped or flat, circular disc that surrounds their opening or mouth. Their mouths, called hypostomes, protrude like pursed lips, unlike other corals that have flat or concave mouths. On their discs, they have small tentacles that resemble bumps, warts, or beads, usually referred to as papillae or verrucae.
The presence of multiple mouths offers advantages to mushroom corals. Firstly, it enables them to become larger than those with single mouths. This is because polystomatous species, or those with multiple mouths, tend to be larger due to their additional secondary mouths. Secondly, multiple mouths enhance their feeding capabilities. During a study on the coral reefs of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, divers observed that several mushroom corals, both monostomatous (single-mouthed) and polystomatous, were preying on salps. The salps, ranging from 2 to 6 cm in length, were either completely whole or partially digested, stuck inside the wide-open mouths of the corals. The presence of multiple mouths likely increases the feeding efficiency of these mushroom corals, contributing to their growth and survival.
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Mushroom corals are attached to the reef only when they are young
Mushroom corals are a species of coral that are named for their oval shape and radiating skeletal walls (septa) that give them a mushroom-like appearance. They are also known as razor coral due to their sharp septa. Mushroom corals are suspension feeders, collecting particles from the seawater with hair-like cilia on their disc surface. They are solitary organisms, unlike most corals, and do not form colonies.
Mushroom corals are found in quiet water reefs, such as those in Kāneʻohe Bay. They are one of the most recognizable species of Hawaiian stony corals. Reef-building corals are only found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters, as they contain algae that require light for photosynthesis and water temperatures of 70-85°F (22-29°C). Stony corals are the group primarily responsible for laying the foundations of reef structures.
Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems, with around one-quarter of all ocean species depending on them for food and shelter. They are extremely ancient, having evolved into modern reef-building forms over the last 25 million years. They are also of great value to humans, providing food, protection of shorelines, tourism, and medicines. However, human activity poses the greatest threat to coral reefs, with overfishing, destructive fishing, pollution, warming, changing ocean chemistry, and invasive species all causing damage.
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Mushroom corals can right themselves if overturned
Mushroom corals, also known as plate corals, are a family of Cnidaria. They are solitary marine animals that can move around aquariums to find more favourable areas. This movement is often referred to as "walking". Mushroom corals can crawl or float, and they can move in any direction. They are able to do this by inflating and deflating their tissues. This process usually occurs at night when the aquarium lights are off, and it can take one to two weeks for them to attach to rocks.
Mushroom corals are very adaptable and can endure a multitude of aquarium environments and conditions. They are known for thriving in high-nutrient systems, which accelerates their growth and reproduction. They are also one of the easiest types of soft coral to keep as they are nearly indestructible in the right conditions, are not aggressive, and grow quickly. They come in a vast variety of species, such as Ricordea, Discosoma, and Rhodactis, each with its own unique colour variants, textures, and physical characteristics.
Mushroom corals are usually placed in areas of low to moderate flow ranges, and most species are kept in low flow. They prefer lower-light areas as exposure to high light can bleach and damage them. They have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually, although asexual reproduction is most common in the home aquarium. Some species of mushroom coral, such as Fungia repanda and Ctenactis echinata, are also able to change sex in response to environmental constraints and to improve their evolutionary fitness.
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Mushroom corals are suspension feeders
Mushroom corals are a type of soft coral that is easy to keep in the right conditions. They are not aggressive, grow quickly, and can reproduce both sexually and asexually. They are also capable of moving themselves, a phenomenon known as "walking". Mushroom corals are usually found loose on the seafloor, but young corals are attached to the reef framework by a limestone pedestal. As the polyp grows, the pedestal breaks, and the coral lives unattached with its mouth side up.
Mushroom corals are one of the most recognizable species of Hawaiian stony corals, named for their oval shape and radiating skeletal walls. They come in a variety of species, such as Ricordea, Discosoma, and Rhodactis, each with diverse color variants, textures, and unique physical characteristics.
Some mushroom corals, such as Polyphyllia, have multiple mouths, while others, like Cycloseris and Fungia, are solitary organisms with a single mouth.
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Mushroom corals are solitary marine animals
Mushroom corals, also known as plate corals, are a family of Cnidaria. They are commonly found in the deep sea and belong to their own order among the anthozoans, known as the Corallimorpharia. Mushroom corals are often confused with true anemones (Actiniaria) but lack the muscular foot that enables anemones to move around. They are also distinct from both soft corals (Alcyonacea) and stony corals (Scleractinia).
Mushroom corals are generally solitary marine animals capable of benthic locomotion. They often appear bleached or dead, and in most genera, a single polyp emerges from the center of the skeleton to feed at night. Most species remain fully detached from the substrate in adulthood, and some are immobile as well as colonial. Some species of mushroom coral, such as Fungia repanda and Ctenactis echinata, are able to change sex, possibly in response to environmental or energetic constraints.
The Yuma Mushroom, an Indo-Pacific species, is usually solitary and grows larger in diameter (approximately two inches). Other solitary mushroom coral species include Cycloseris and Fungia. Polyphyllia consists of a single organism with multiple mouths, while Ctenactis and Herpolitha might be considered solitary organisms with multiple mouths or a colony of individuals, each with its own mouth.
Mushroom corals are popular in the aquarium trade and are often recommended for novice reef aquarists due to their colourful appearance, ease of care, affordability, and low danger to other organisms. They are internally similar to stony corals, sharing the same arrangement of mesenteries and a similar array of nematocysts. However, they lack a skeleton, which has been a subject of research interest.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom corals have mouths, but not all mushrooms are mushroom corals.
Mushroom corals have been described as having "little mouths". Some have a single mouth, while others have multiple mouths. The mouths can be dotted all over the surface, either randomly or in some kind of pattern.
Mushroom corals are suspension feeders. They have hair-like cilia on the surface of their discs that collect particles from seawater and carry them to their mouths.
