A New Record for a Massive Porites Colony at Ta’u Island, American Samoa
December 07, 2020
An exceptionally large, hermatypic colony of Porites sp. has been measured and identified as the biggest colony recorded in American Samoa, and one of the largest documented worldwide.
It is currently unknown why such large corals exist around this particular island. Possible explanations include mild wave or atmospheric climates and minimal anthropogenic impacts.
Physiologically, these colonies may be resistant and/or resilient to disturbances. Large, intact corals can help build past (century-scale) climatic profiles, and better understand coral persistence, particularly as coral communities worldwide are declining at rapid rates.
Coward G, Lawrence A, Ripley N, Brown V, Sudek M, Brown E, Moffitt I, Fuiava B, Vargas-Angel B. 2020. A New Record for a Massive Porites Colony at Ta’u Island, American Samoa. Scientific Reports. 10(1):1-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77776-7.