Like many coral species, the bubble coral is zooxanthellate,...

[The Librarian]

Like many coral species, the bubble coral is zooxanthellate, which means that its tissues contain large numbers of single-celled algae called zooxanthellae. By harnessing the sun’s energy in this way, corals are able to grow rapidly and form vast reef structures, but are constrained to live near the water’s surface. While, on average, a zooxanthellate coral can obtain around 70 percent of its nutrient requirements from the photosynthesis of the zooxanthellae, the coral may also feed on zooplankton. Very little is known about the specific reproductive biology of the bubble coral, although it is likely to be able to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction occurs via fragmentation, in which a branch breaks off a colony, reattaches to the substrate and grows. Sexual reproduction occurs via the release of eggs and sperm into the water. Some of the resulting larvae from these spawning events settle quickly on the same reef, whilst others may drift around for months, finally settling on reefs that may be hundreds of kilometres away. The bubble coral is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, ranging from the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and southwest Indian Ocean, across the northern Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, Japan and the East China Sea, and into the West and Central Pacific Ocean. The bubble coral is most frequently found on protected reefs in lagoons, where it grows on vertical faces or under overhangs. Large colonies are often found on flat surfaces in turbid waters.

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