Fire Coral

Fire corals aren't true corals - they're hydrozoans more closely related to jellyfish. But they build calcium carbonate structures indistinguishable from true coral reefs. What distinguishes fire coral is aggressive defense: powerful nematocysts deliver painful stings to any diver who brushes against them. Where true corals compete passively for space, fire corals actively deter competitors through chemical warfare.

The combination of fast growth and stinging defense makes fire coral a dominant reef space colonizer. After disturbances that clear reef substrate, fire coral often colonizes faster than true corals, occupying prime real estate with structures that actively repel competition. Some researchers view fire coral as reef infrastructure; others view it as a weed that displaces more diverse coral communities. The truth likely depends on context - fire coral that stabilizes damaged reef may benefit the ecosystem while fire coral that excludes other species may reduce diversity.

For business, fire coral represents aggressive market colonization with defensive positioning. Fast-growing companies that quickly establish market position while deploying competitive deterrents (patents, regulatory capture, network effects) follow fire coral strategy. The approach works for securing territory but may reduce ecosystem diversity - a market dominated by one defensive player may underperform a market with diverse competitors. Fire coral succeeds individually while potentially harming collective reef productivity.