Bamboo coral, family Keratoisididae (formerly Isididae) is a family of

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

of the phylum

Cnidaria Cnidaria ( ) is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic invertebrates found both in fresh water, freshwater and marine environments (predominantly the latter), including jellyfish, hydroid (zoology), hydroids, ...

. It is a commonly recognized inhabitant of the deep sea, due to the clearly articulated skeletons of the species. Deep water coral species such as this are especially affected by the practice of

bottom trawling Bottom trawling is trawling (towing a trawl, which is a fishing net) along the seafloor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and Demersal zone, demersal trawling. Benthic tra ...

. These organisms may be an important environmental indicator in the study of long term climate change, as some specimens of bamboo coral have been discovered that are 4,000 years old. Bamboo corals were previously defined to be the family Isididae, based on their articulated skeletons with proteinaceous joints, but this family was shown to be

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

after it was found in 2021 that this had evolved at least five separate times. As of 2023, the taxonomy of bamboo corals is being actively revised.

Description

Relatively little is known about bamboo coral. The skeletons of bamboo coral are made up of

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

in the form of tree-like branches alternating with joint-like nodes or axes composed of

gorgonin Gorgonin is a flexible scleroprotein which provides structural strength to gorgonian corals, a subset of the order Alcyonacea. Gorgonian corals have supporting skeletal axes made of gorgonin and/or calcite. Gorgonin makes up the joints of bambo ...

protein. The alternation of the bony structures with the smaller

parts give the bamboo coral a finger-like appearance similar to that of the

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

plant on land. Bamboo coral was reported in 2005 to have been found on a dozen

seamount A seamount is a large submarine landform that rises from the ocean floor without reaching the water surface (sea level), and thus is not an island, islet, or cliff-rock. Seamounts are typically formed from extinct volcanoes that rise abruptly a ...

s in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

between

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, and

Kodiak, Alaska Kodiak (Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ) is the main city and one of seven communities on Kodiak Island in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska, Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska. All commercial transportation between the island's communities and the outside ...

. Ages and growth rates of bamboo coral in the deepest water are unknown. However, based on radiocarbon-based growth rate and age data from specimens in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

, the life span has been estimated to be between 75 and 126 years. A number of bamboo coral species are

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms inc ...

. In 2007, a mission funded by the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

(NOAA) discovered seven new species of bamboo coral in the

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) (roughly ) is a World Heritage Site, World Heritage listed National monument (United States), U.S. national monument encompassing of ocean waters, including ten islands and atolls of th ...

, a U.S. national monument lying primarily in deep waters off the

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands also known as the Leeward Hawaiian Islands, are a series of islands and atolls located northwest of Kauai and Niihau, Niihau in the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian island chain. Politically, these islands are part of ...

, using the '' Pisces V''. Of these seven new species, six may represent completely new

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

(that is, major new classification categories). As of 2009, data from these findings is still being analyzed. A bamboo coral "tree", five feet tall, was described for the first time by the mission. Scientists also found an area of dead coral, about and more than deep. The cause of death of the coral community is unknown but it is estimated to have occurred several thousand to perhaps over a million years ago. Deep sea bamboo coral provides the ecosystems to support deep sea life and also may be among the first organisms to display the effects of changes in

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's ocean. Between 1950 and 2020, the average pH of the ocean surface fell from approximately 8.15 to 8.05. Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are the primary cause of ...

caused by excess

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

, since they produce growth rings similar to those of a tree and can provide a view of changes in the condition in the deep sea over time. Some bamboo coral can be especially long-lived; coral specimens as old as 4,000 years were found at the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, giving scientists a window into the ocean's past. One scientist said the coral provided "4,000 years worth of information about what has been going on in the deep ocean interior". Deep water coral organisms such as bamboo coral are especially affected by the practice of

. Other research has raised the possibility that bamboo corals, because of their potential to mimic biological properties, may potentially be used as living bone implants as well as in aquatic cultivation.

Genera

* '' Acanella'' Gray, 1870 * ''Adinisi''s Lapointe & Watling, 2022 * '' Bathygorgia'' Wright, 1885 * '' Cladarisis'' Watling, 2015 * '' Dokidisis'' Lapointe & Watling, 2022 * '' Eknomisis'' Watling & France, 2011 * '' Isidella'' Gray, 1857 * '' Jasonisis'' Alderslade & McFadden, 2012 * '' Keratoisis'' Wright, 1869 * '' Lepidisis'' Verrill, 1883 * '' Onkoisis'' Lapointe & Watling, 2022 * '' Orstomisis'' Bayer, 1990 * '' Tanyostea'' Lapointe & Watling, 2022

References

External links

* *
Bamboo coral research
Research at UC Davis Bodega laboratory {{Taxonbar, from=Q3276436