Abstract
Four dominant species of scleractinian coral, Acropora gemmifera, A. digitifera, A. millepora and A. hyacinthus were investigated on the reef front of Mizugama reef, Okinawa Island, Japan. Recovery processes involving tissue pigmentation and polyp formation were characterized for each colony. The broken surface area was smaller and the rate of axial polyp formation was faster for A. hyacinthus than for A. gemmifera. Furthermore, some branches of A. gemmifera formed a mound-like shape in the central lesion area, which seemed to delay the formation of an axial polyp. The mound was formed when sediment accumulated on the lesion, prior to tissue coverage. This study indicates that the differences in polyp formation and polyp recovery varies among species, which in turn are affected by environmental factors but also inherent, species specific, constraints.
