The Evolutionary History of Montastraea: A Brief Insight into the Ancestral Origins of Montastraea


Authors : Darsh Sagala

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 4 - April


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/3s8fmjxp

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25apr2366

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : This research paper provides insights into the ancestral origins of Montastraea. The fossil record and microscopic skeletal analysis proves the Rugose corals are linked to Montastraea and also gives an insight into how they evolved. Montastraea cavernosa has had a long evolutionary history, from having the early Rugose corals as their ancestors to being a very resistant species to our pollution of oceans.

References :

  1. Ann.F.Budd, James. S Klaus, The origin and evolution of the Montastraea "annularis" species complex(Anthozoa:Scleractinia), Journal of Paleontology, 75(3):527-545, May 2001,  DOI:    10.1666/0022-3360(2001)075<05279:TOAEEO>2.0.CO;2
  2. Wikipedia, Montastraea, 15 October 2023, Niamh Vaughan, Montastraea cavernosa(Great Star Coral), The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago, 27 March 2015
  3. Paul. D. Taylor, DK Eyewitness: Fossils, 7 December 2023, pp.22-23, ISBN:9780241652770
  4. S. Karako, Noga Stambler, Zvy Dubinsky, The Taxonomy and Evolution of the Zooxanthellae-Coral Symbiosis, Symbiosis, January 2004, pp. 539-557, DOI: 10.1007/0-306-48173-1 34.
  5. Juan L Torres, Impacts of Sedimentation on the Growth Rates of Montastraea annularis in Southwest Puerto Rico, Bulletin of Marine Science, 69(2):631-637, January 2001
  6. Cyril Walker, David Ward, DK Eyewitness: Fossils, 7 October 2021, pp. 50-55,  ISBN: 9780241471432
  7. Wikipedia, Rugosa, 28 March 2025
  8. Elvira Alvarado Ch., Alberto Acosta, Growth Responses of the Reef-Building Coral Montastraea annularis Along a Gradient of Continental Influence in the Southern Gulf of Mexico, Bulletin of Marine Science, 85(1):61-76, July 2009
  9. www.researchgate.net/publication/225592296_Polymorphism_in_a_common_Atlantic_reef_coral_Montastraea_cavernosa_and_its_long-term_evolutionary_implications
  10. archive.org/details/fossil_202401
  11. archive.org/details/fossils_202309
  12. www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?id=287962&p=taxdetails
  13. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montastraea
  14. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugosa
  15. sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Montastrea_cavernosa%20-%20Great%20Star%20Coral.pdf
  16. Population Size-Structure of the Reef-Coral Montastraea annularis in Two Contrasting Reefs of a Marine Protected Area in the Southern Caribbean Sea: www.researchgate.net/publication/233674707
  17. Growth Responses of the Reef-Building Coral Montastraea annularis Along a Gradient of Continental Influence in the Southern Gulf of Mexico: www.researchgate.net/publication/230683240
  18. Impacts of Sedimentation on the Growth Rates of Montastraea annularis in Southwest Puerto Rico: www.researchgate.net/publication/263337000
  19. www.researchgate.net/publication/227185948
  20. Mechanism of Zooxanthellae Expulsion by Corals: Exposure to High Temperature in Darkness Induces Zooxanthellae Expulsion by Coral Hosts: www.researchgate.net/publication/265729406
  21. Nutrient Uptake Kinetics and Growth of Zooxanthellae in Laboratory Culture: www.researchgate.net/publication/226788866

This research paper provides insights into the ancestral origins of Montastraea. The fossil record and microscopic skeletal analysis proves the Rugose corals are linked to Montastraea and also gives an insight into how they evolved. Montastraea cavernosa has had a long evolutionary history, from having the early Rugose corals as their ancestors to being a very resistant species to our pollution of oceans.

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