Abstract: Coral reef limestone is a critical foundation layer and natural construction material for tropical island engineering. Its distinct biogenic origin results in mechanical behavior that differ significantly from those of terrigenous rocks. This article systematically reviews recent advances in microstructure characterization, mechanical behavior, multi-field degradation, and numerical modeling of reef limestone. At the micro-scale, the hierarchical pore structure and digital characterization methods are emphasized. Mechanically, the damage mechanisms under static loading and long-term performance in marine environments are discussed. Numerically, the applicability of a binary-medium constitutive model in simulating failure processes is evaluated. Key findings include: (1) Coral reef limestone​ exhibits a distinct vertical binary sedimentary structure controlled by biogenesis, with strength governed by microscopic topology rather than individual physical parameters; (2) pore tensor theory identifies stress concentration from oriented macropores as the main cause of mechanical parameter dispersion; (3) high crack-initiation sensitivity, with lateral damage at dilation points substantially exceeding axial damage; (4) a thermal damage threshold of 400°C and strength reductions of 48.1%-60.3% due to acid dissolution; (5) the effectiveness of binary-medium models in capturing rock-soil transition behavior, with physics-informed neural networks represent a frontier approach for cross-scale parameter prediction.

Key words: Coral reef limestone, Biogenesis?, Mechanical damage, Constitutive Model, Artificial intelligence?