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Eagle Eye zooanthid coral, propagated in captivity. Zooanthids and Palythoa are propagated in captivity by cutting the polyps apart using a scalpel or scissors then attaching to a surface with cyanoacrylate glue. Care must be taken when cutting zooanthids because, if the palytoxin gets in the bloodstream a person will become very ill.
The coral can has a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae living inside of the coral. [5] Colonies of G. astreata are either sub-massive, columnar, or encrusting, meaning they can either be irregularly shaped, growing upward like columns, or impinging on a hard substrate. Colonies can grow to be over two meters long.
Zooxanthellae (/ ˌ z oʊ ə z æ n ˈ θ ɛ l iː /; sg. zooxanthella) is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including demosponges, corals, jellyfish, and nudibranchs.
The coral then uses these to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates which help produce their calcium carbonate skeleton. The relationship between the zooxanthellae and the coral polyp creates a tight recycling of nutrients in nutrient-poor tropical waters and is the driving force behind the growth and productivity of the reef. [4]
The individual polyps are large and sit in stony cups known as corallites. The polyps are translucent and the colony has a furry appearance when they are expanded. In warm water and with high levels of light, this coral often houses photosynthesizing symbiotic protists known as zooxanthellae in its tissues, and then the coral appears brown. In ...
The polyps contain symbiotic photosynthetic microalgae called zooxanthellae which, under good conditions, can obtain almost sufficient energy from sunlight for the coral's needs. It is also heterotrophic; the polyps extend their tentacles and catch and ingest organic particles, sediment, zooplankton, bacteria and even dissolved organic matter. [7]
If the stressful conditions persist, the polyp eventually dies. [38] Zooxanthellae are located within the coral cytoplasm and due to the algae's photosynthetic activity the internal pH of the coral can be raised; this behavior indicates that the zooxanthellae are responsible to some extent for the metabolism of their host corals. [39]
Some gorgonians contain algae, or zooxanthellae. This symbiotic relationship assists in giving the gorgonian nutrition by photosynthesis. Gorgonians possessing zooxanthellae are usually characterized by brownish polyps. Gorgonians are found primarily in shallow waters, though some have been found at depths of several thousand feet.