White sea fan

In Dive.Explo360: Mediterranean

Easy to notice on a well-lit drop-off, the White sea fan forms pale fans facing the current. It filters plankton with its polyps and provides valuable refuge for many small species of Mediterranean rocky seabeds.

Habitat de White sea fan Habitat
Rocky habitat
Profondeur de White sea fan Depth
10-60 m
Groupe biologique de White sea fan Group
Cnidarian
Rôle écologique de White sea fan Role
Filter feeder, Ecosystem engineer

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

This sea fan forms fan-shaped colonies or branching tufts, with flexible axes standing facing the current. Its structure is generally open and irregularly branched. The inconspicuous polyps appear whitish to greenish depending on the presence of symbiotic organisms. The whole colony may have the pale colouring that gives it the name White sea fan. It is attached to the substrate by a broad, robust base.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

It grows on hard substrates such as rocks or boulders, sometimes resting on stabilised sandy seabeds. It is encountered in the Mediterranean, mainly from the first few metres down to a few tens of metres deep, in areas exposed to moderate or steady currents.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

Its diet is based on catching suspended organic particles and plankton with its polyps. It thus filters the water flowing around the colony. In this species, some energy may also come from an association with microscopic algae living in its tissues.

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