Density and compressive strength of the coral <i>Siderastrea siderea</i> (Scleractinia: Siderastreidae): Intraspecific variability

Abstract

Structural characteristics of ramose corals may vary in different parts of the branches due to different growth patterns (Tunnicliffe 1982). Nevertheless, in massive corals, which have ra­dial growth (Barnes 1973), it is considered that skeletal structure will not vary significantly within the same colony (Schneider and Smith 1982, Hughes 1987). In this study the density and compressive strength of the coral Siderastrea siderea (Ellis and Solander 1786) was determined to test the "homogeneity" of skeletal structure of massive corals.