Coral draw in Maharashtra

For marine biologist Harshal Karve who works with the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra coral is a charismatic creature that led him to pursue his PhD degree on the diversity of intertidal coral species of Mumbai ldquoI often wonder how a small softbodied animal living in the sea secretes a calcium carbonate and forms a massive reef structure which protects the coastline and forms a complex ecosystem that supports an astonishing biodiversity and which is eventually beneficial for humansrdquo says Karve pointing out the need to conserve this marine habitat It is for this reason that marine experts across the world observe World Reef Day on June 1 to create change through education and engagementVerrillrsquos cup coral PicPradip PatadeAlong the Maharashtra coastIn Maharashtra Karve asserts that the Malvan Marine Sanctuary is a small coral reef pocket located along the state coast The Angria Bank is also a diverse coral reef off Sindhudurg A few coral species have adapted and can be found in various intertidal areas along the shoreline he adds Here are somegtgt Flowerpot coral Goniopora spThis beautiful looking coral is found in intertidal as well as subtidal regions along the coast It has a long extending polypgtgtBurnt cup coral Cladangia exustaThese are nonreef building types that lack zooxanthellae a symbiotic algae It is commonly found in intertidal areasgtgt Scroll coral Turbinaria spThis is a hard coral forming a massive disc mostly found in Malvan Marine Sanctuarygt gt Favites coralThis is a stony coral that forms encrusting or massive domeshaped coloniesLeft Abhishek Jamalabad and Harshal KarveAlong the Mumbai coastAbhishek Jamalabad marine biologist at Marine Life of Mumbai MLOM and Coastal Conservation Foundation shares that Mumbai has a number of hard and soft coral varieties ldquoThe MLOM citizen project has documented at least eight species of hard coral along city seashores and at least three soft coral along with an unresolved number of unidentified onesrdquo he says Mumbai he adds also has a variety of sea anemones and zoantharians which are technically part of the hexacoral group alongside the hard coralgt gt Burnt cup coral Cladangia exustaThese are one of the commonest species of hard coral on the rocky shores of western Mumbai They have tiny polyps individual animals that make up the entire coral structure about 4mm across but the colonies in many places are large enough to be seen easily They get their name from the dark colour of the cuplike corallitesgtgt Verrillrsquos cup coral Polycyathus verrilliSomewhat similar in structure to burnt cup coral this is another species fairly widespread along the western shores The polyps have an orangish brown colour sometimes with a tinge of striking greengtgtFalse pillow coral Pseudosiderastrea tayamaiThese are found at only a few sites in Mumbai but found growing in some of the harshest conditions The colonies grow on rocks and have a somewhat smooth rounded appearance with a honeycomblike arrangement of polyps when seen upclose Classified as lsquoNear Threatenedrsquo by the IUCNgtgtIndian sea plume Pseudopterogorgia frederickiSea plumes along with sea fans sea pens and their relatives are the soft coral species found in Mumbai They have polyps arranged on a flexible structure Theyrsquore found in various shapes sizes and colours in MumbaiProtection priorityKarve elaborates that increased population pollution unsustainable coastal development and climate change have become major threats to coral reefs Rise in sea water temperature associated with the El Nino phenomenon affects symbiotic association of zooxanthellae which lives inside the coral and results in coral bleaching Prachi Hatkar a marine biologist and a project assistant with Wildlife Institute of India informs us that the easiest way to help protect coral in our daytoday lives is by controlling the use of singleuse plastic ldquoThis even includes the scrubs and face washes that we use which contain microbeads that arenrsquot biodegradablerdquo she adds Jamalabad adds that coral species in a place like Mumbai remain understudied So one can explore the seashores document the species firsthand and share it ldquoThey can be used constructively for research education and conservation by those accessingrdquo he addsResilience of Mumbai coralsCoral is popularly thought of as a delicate creature that needs clear undisturbed waters says Jamalabad ldquoThis is not true of all species There are many which have developed the characters necessary to live in murky turbid waters like those of Mumbai Many species are also resilient with the ability to recover after bleaching every summerThese are the kinds that we find across most of Mumbairsquos western seashoresrdquo he addsAngria Bank A unique ecosystemKarve says that the name is derived from Kanhoji Angre who served as one of the most successful admirals under Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Angria Bank is a submerged plateau located 105 km offshore from the Konkan coast of Maharashtra ldquoIt is suggested to have developed after the Holocene sealevel rise a few 1000 years ago Currently this 2011km2 region ranges from depths of 20 m to 400 m and supports a large extent of coral reefs and associated flora and fauna It has been identified by the Wildlife Institute of India as one of Indiarsquos 106 Important Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Areas ICMBAsrdquo he addsBurnt cup coral PicHarshal KarveScience behind coralKarve explains that coral is a marine invertebrate which forms a colony of genetically and morphologically identical polyps ldquoSome coral species are solitary forming a single polyp only There are different types of coral such as hard and soft They are also divided as reef building coral and nonreef building coralrdquo he shares adding that coral reefs are formed by coral polyps as they secrete layers of calcium carbonate beneath their body ldquoThis ecosystem encompasses a variety of marine species such as molluscs polychaetes sponges crustaceans echinoderms tunicates cnidarians fishes etcrdquo he adds