Acropora cerealis

Acropora cerealis is a stony coral belonging to the family Acroporidae, one of the most diverse and ecologically important groups of reef-building corals. Like other Acropora species, it forms hard calcium carbonate skeletons that create complex branching structures, providing shelter and habitat for reef fish, invertebrates, and other marine organisms. As a colonial organism, it grows through the collective activity of tiny polyps that extract calcium carbonate from seawater, and it depends on symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) housed within its tissues for the majority of its energy needs through photosynthesis.

This species occupies marine neritic waters across a broad swath of the Indo-Pacific and western Indian Ocean, with recorded populations in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Fiji, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Vietnam, China, India, Mozambique, Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius, the Cook Islands, and the United States.

The species is classified as Endangered, with a decreasing population trend. Threats include destructive fishing and harvesting practices, recreational activities such as diving and anchoring, disease outbreaks, and competition or predation from problematic native and invasive species. Water quality degradation from urban wastewater, agricultural runoff, and non-timber crop cultivation contributes to chronic stress, while storms, flooding, and broader habitat shifting linked to climate change compound the damage.

Conservation responses include marine protected areas across parts of its range, restrictions on destructive fishing gear, coral restoration and outplanting projects, and international monitoring under CITES and IUCN frameworks. Water quality management initiatives in some coastal regions aim to reduce runoff impacts.

Given the combination of localized human pressures and larger-scale climate-related stressors, the species' outlook remains poor, with continued population decline expected absent substantial reductions in cumulative threats.