Mushroom coral

Mushroom Coral are any of the species of coral belonging to the taxonomic family Fungiidae. Mushroom corals are incredibly beautiful and unique creatures that resemble mushrooms and are also long and tubular. They are usually found in sandy areas and coral reefs. Mushroom corals are known as polyps, and the polyps are free-living. They are very slow when moving; being nomadic but restricted to the Indo-Pacific. They move by puffing out their tissues (inflating) and then decreasing (deflating) their tissues. Mushroom coral are known to have incredible colors, sometimes even luminescent. Their mouths are normally brighter than the rest of their bodies. During the day, their tentacles are stretched out to try to catch food. A unique fact about the corals is that if you are to turn over a bigger mushroom coral, it will not be able to stand it and will soon die. Also, nutrition wise, the corals host symbiotic algae within their bodies. Photosynthesis occurs and transforms the algae into food for the polyp. Mushroom corals are vastly different from other aquatic creatures and deserve our time to be studied.

Body Design


Fungiidae, also known as Mushroom Coral, Disk Corals, Helmet Corals, etc. are beautiful, motile corals. In contrast to other corals, Fungiidae can be magnificently colored creatures. Most corals appear hermatypic, reef-building coral, yet Fungiidae are non reef-building. They consist of a polyp which is ensconced in unique tentacles. The Fungiids maintain a skeleton made of chitin and or calcium carbonate, and because of this their skeletons are prone to breakage. The fungiids skeleton appears to have the heaviest and largest skeleton of all coral polyps. When first born, the fungiidae is connected to a long parent polyp and then continues to grow from a stem. Fungiidae are very unsettled creatures and are always on the move. Also, some Fungiidae have been known to resemble sea anemones because of their brightly colored tentacles. In addition, Fungiids have been observed by some as sea cucumbers, because of their elongated appearance. Depending on the species of the coral, some have a single mouth while other have multiple mouths that cover their bodies, hence budding. Many of the smaller fungiid corals are circular, yet the larger corals tend to be oblong and even oval shaped, growing up to seven inches long.

Life Cycle
In the life of Fungiidae, they are born and are attached to stems of the adult polyp. They feed off of nutrients from the adult polyp until they grow strong enough to detach themselves. The stem literally dissipates and is dissolved allowing the fungiids to go free. Once they become unattached from the adult polyp, they are on their own. The fungiids are mostly motile creatures, thus they leave their parents soon after they disconnect from the polyp. Fungiids are very delicate creatures that have been known to have a very complex lifestyle. People who care for fungiids have step by step plans/ diagrams that keep them healthy. Yet in the ocean, the fungiids have to fend for themselves, and they understand how to protect and support themselves. Also, Fungiids are able to able to reproduce sexually and asexually. In Fungiidae as a whole, most of the genera have female and male species, yet a few of them consist of hermaphrodites. Sexual reproduction consists of both the egg and the sperm being released into the water and then fertilized. Asexual reproduction has three different forms among the fungiids, yet the most common is budding. Another type of asexual reproduction contains a division on the upper part of the polyp where a new individual attaches.

Ecology
Little has been discovered about the life and history or Fungiidae, though in Indonesia they are some of the most studied species. Also, Fungiids are unique in that when they are buried in sediment, they are able to maneuver themselves out of it which makes them a domineering group as a whole. In addition, Fungiids are motile creatures who are constantly on the move, thus making it harder on the predators.

The Fungiids diet consists of few things including fish, plankton, and if they are lucky, more meaty foods such as shrimp or other marine meat. They are fortunate in that they have a mucus that covers the tentacles. The mucus serves two purposes; it can capture food or other prey, and it can release/ shed the skin if something bad becomes attached.

Mushroom Coral Feeding and Reproduction
The mushroom coral consists of a polyp covered in tentacles. The polyp is attached to a rock by a short stem/branch. To catch prey, the coral elongates his tentacles and puts them straight out. By doing so, he is able to catch whatever prey the current brings past him. The corals mouth is in the center of it's body, and is a slender slit that is surrounded by cilia. The cilia work to move the food into the mouth, and also remove any unwanted materials such as sand or debris. In addition to this method of feeding, the coral has another way to obtain food. When the tentacles catch the prey, it takes off any algae from the creature and hides it under it's skin, producing photosynthetic energy.

In Mushroom coral, there are two kinds of reproduction; asexual and sexual. The coral is able to reproduce asexually through budding. In this form of reproduction, the coral separates from it's original rock, leaving part of it's sediment behind. The old part that is left attached to the rock will slowly bud into a new coral. The coral can also reproduce sexually through spawning. This is when the male releases sperm into the water while the female releases eggs and the fertilize and produce a planula.