Coral Embryos Can Clone Themselves Before Settlement

[LXH]

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/science/coral-embryos-can-clone-themselves-before-settlement-198390.html

 

Scientists found that waves can break apart coral embryos, and the fragments that result from it will form individual corals. So cool!

[jimmydasaint]

It is cool but seems to be a model system in use. Although the ease with which an embryo can be split by a wave means that coral can respond quickly to reef damage quickly. Interesting.

 

When corals mass spawn at night on the Great Barrier Reef, the rough waves that often accompany this event could help maximize their breeding success, according to new Australian research published in Science on March 1.

After fertilization, the eggs begin to divide, forming larvae overnight that may be dispersed by ocean currents prior to settling. However, unlike most other marine invertebrates, the embryos are not shielded by a membrane, making them vulnerable to fragmentation.

“As the early-stage embryo develops, it divides into a cluster of cells,” said study co-author Andrew Heyward at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a press release. “Because this ball of cells lacks a protective outer-layer, we wondered whether subjecting them to a little turbulence might cause them [to] break up.”

The researchers recreated the effects of the smallest waves on the reef by pouring embryos into another vessel containing seawater from about a foot (30 cm) above.

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