Acropora grandis

Acropora grandis is a stony coral in the family Acroporidae, building large, robust colonies typically arranged in tabular or corymbose formations composed of dense branching structures. Like other Acropora species, it is a colonial organism made up of thousands of individual polyps that extend tentacles primarily at night to capture plankton, supplementing energy gained through photosynthetic zooxanthellae housed in its tissues. As a fast-growing branching coral, it contributes significantly to reef framework construction, providing three-dimensional structural habitat that supports fish and invertebrate communities.

The species occurs in marine neritic waters across the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, with recorded populations in Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and Japan. It typically inhabits shallow reef environments where light penetration supports its symbiotic algae.

Populations are declining due to a combination of pressures. Fishing and harvesting activities damage reef structures directly and indirectly. Disease outbreaks and pressure from problematic native species, such as crown-of-thorns starfish predation, further reduce colony survival.

Habitat shifting and alteration, largely linked to warming seas and coral bleaching events, disrupt reef stability, while unidentified pollution sources add additional stress to already vulnerable colonies.

Conservation measures include the species' listing under CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade, along with its presence within marine protected areas across parts of its range where reef monitoring and management programs are in place. Regional coral reef restoration initiatives, including coral gardening and transplantation efforts, also target Acropora species.

Despite these measures, the population trend remains decreasing. Given ongoing climate-related stressors and continued anthropogenic pressures, the species' conservation trajectory remains concerning, consistent with its current Endangered classification.