User:Jselod/Madrepora oculata

The species is known to perform continuous reproduction, releasing fewer but larger oocytes when compared to seasonal reproducers like Desmophyllum pertusum. They are gonochoristic broadcast spawners, meaning they release their gametes into open water and possess separate sexes.

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Description

Due to their similar distribution and taxonomic relationship, M. oculata is often experimentally compared to related deep sea coral, Lophelia pertusa.

The coral has been found to grow 3-18 mm per year with the addition of about 5 polyps a year. This growth rate has been found to be comparable to related deep sea coral, Lophelia pertusa.

Distribution and Habitat

M. oculata is distributed worldwide, but is most densely concentrated in the northern Atlantic Ocean, southern and western Pacific Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. While temperatures range from 5-9°C in the northern Atlantic Ocean, temperatures reach 11-13°C in the Mediterranean. Though the species is distributed through many temperatures, it has been shown experimentally that the species does not display thermal acclimation in both respiration and calcification. Alternatively, L. pertusa does exhibit thermal acclimation in respiration and calcification, indicating species-specific diversity between deep sea corals. While M. oculata does not exhibit thermal acclimation, has been experimentally shown to have a high resistance to pH in terms of skeletal growth and calcification.