Linear extension, skeletal density, and calcification rates of the blue coral Heliopora coerulea

Abstract The brooding reef-building octocoral Heliopora is widespread on Indo-West Pacific reefs and appears to be relatively resistant thermal stress, which may enable it persist locally while scleractinians diminish under Anthropocene conditions. However, basic physiological measurements of “blue corals” are lacking prevent their inclusion in trait-based studies. We address this by quantifying rates (mean ± SE) linear extension (0.86 0.05 cm yr ?1 ) skeletal density (2.01 0.06 g ?3 estimate calcification (0.87 0.08 ?2 for the small branching/columnar morphology coerulea . postulate that H. become an increasingly important reef-builder ocean warming due its relative resistance stress high make colonies less vulnerable storm damage acidification. Moreover, corals likely dispersal limited suggesting they underappreciated genus restoration stress-tolerant capacity degraded reefs.