A study released by a team of researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s National Coral Reef Institute has revealed that Florida’s critically endangered pillar coral population has continued to plummet in recent years.
Pillar corals are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Pillar corals form cylindrical columns on top of encrusting bases and often resemble fingers or a cluster of cigars, growing up from the sea floor. Their colonies are generally golden brown and may reach more than 10 feet high. Tentacles remain extended during the day, giving columns a furry appearance.
Pillar corals are uncommon, but conspicuous, and their structures can provide crucial shelter and habitat for fish and other marine life, contributing significantly to reef biodiversity and supporting local fisheries.
Pillar coral was declared “functionally extinct” in Florida in 2020 because of a precipitous decline in population, mostly caused by stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD). Functional extinction occurs when a species’ population has reduced to where it can no longer fulfill its ecological role or maintain a viable population to reproduce, even if individual members of the species still exist. The latest research shows that the pillar coral population experienced an additional 96 percent loss in tissue from 2021–2025, with the primary cause continuing to be SCTLD. There are currently only 23 individuals remaining in Florida, most of them with live tissue smaller than the size of a tennis ball.
An effort began in 2015 to rescue pillar coral fragments and hold them at various restoration facilities to preserve the genetic diversity of the species. At these facilities, pillar corals have been able to grow, and spawning efforts have created the next generation of corals. Though slow-growing, babies reared at these facilities have themselves spawned after six years of growth. Researchers hope that these efforts will lead to a return of this coral species to Florida’s Coral Reef.
“Pillar coral are one of the most charismatic species in the Caribbean,” said Karen Neely, Ph.D., professor and lead author on the study. “The largest ones stand like cathedrals on the reef and are always swarming with fish and other marine life. The loss of these corals from Florida is a loss to all of us who love the water, and to those who rely on it for the economic and environmental benefits it provides. While this paper highlights the continuing tragedy occurring on our reefs, it also highlights how the emergency rescue of this species 10 years ago has kept this population alive. Not only have we learned how to care for and even make baby pillar corals, but we have maintained hope that one day, they may be part of our reefs again.”
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is the largest private research university in Florida and a top employer in the state, with more than $5 billion in projected economic impact. NSU is classified as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Foundation among universities with the highest level of research activity. Visit www.nova.edu
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