Lower skeletal extension in Pleistocene Orbicella (Montastraea) corals than in their modern counterparts

Introduction Despite warmer conditions during the Last Interglacial, coral colonies of Orbicella were abundant and reached large sizes on many Caribbean reefs, including extinct O. nancyi . Methods To explore variation in growth rates, we examined yearly mean linear extension bands two fossil species compared them with modern same genus from shallow waters wider Caribbean.We measured corals exposed a reef their counterparts, both situ slab X-rays. Results Few showed autocorrelation or trend linear-growth time series. A Bayesian ANOVA lower linear-extension rates fossils to similar than other Pleistocene. Growth form contribute significantly amount tissue size can be decisive trait for inter intra specific competition. Discussion It is unlikely that temperature interspecific competition explain low data, which seem controlled instead by past habitat conditions.