A novel growth form of starlet corals (Siderastreidae): Centuries-old columns on shallow-mesophotic turbid-zone reefs

Key Points

• The research aims to identify and describe a unique growth form of starlet corals and its ecological significance.
• Documented the growth form of starlet corals using photogrammetry and computed tomography
• Conducted analyses in the shallow-mesophotic, turbid-zone reefs of the Abrolhos Bank
• Investigated the role of sediment dynamics in coral growth adaptation
• Identified previously unreported columnar growth of Siderastreidae corals
• Established that these colonies are multi-centennial and continuous
• Proposed that the growth form acts as a vertical escape strategy against sediment impact
• Highlighted the potential of these corals as archives of historical environmental changes

Abstract