Bush coral

Biology

This coral is one of the soft corals. This means that, unlike hard corals, it has no internal calcium carbonate skeleton. Just like the name suggests, this animal looks like a tree, with numerous branches radiating outwards from a main trunk. Some of the polyps have additional layers of hard sclerites and therefore do not have the ability to retract. This species is abundant in shallow areas of the reef, especially those that are slightly slanted.

Conservation

Coral reefs around the world are in danger. The major threat to corals is global climate change, high temperatures and ocean acidification. Localized threats to corals include fisheries, invasive species, dynamite fishing, chemical fishing, pollution, sedimentation, and human recreation and tourism activities.