Reproductive biology and larval development of the temperate soft coral Dendronephthya gigantea (Alcyonacea: Nephtheidae)
Hwang, S.-J.; Song, J.-I. (2007). Reproductive biology and larval development of the temperate soft coral Dendronephthya gigantea (Alcyonacea: Nephtheidae). Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 152(2): 273-284. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-007-0679-z
In: Marine Biology: International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0025-3162; e-ISSN 1432-1793, more
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| Abstract |
Dendronephthya gigantea (Verrill, 1864), the dominant species in the waters surrounding Jeju Island, Korea, is a gonochoric internal brooder that releases its planulae from July to September. The ratio of females to males in this azooxanthellate soft coral is 2:1. Oogenesis takes place for 12 months and spermatogenesis for 3–5 months. Gametes mature as seawater temperatures increase, suggesting a seasonal factor in the reproductive cycle. Planulae brooded in the gastrodermal canal were expelled around the times of the full moon and the new moon; a significant difference in numbers expelled was not found between day and night. Ciliated planulae had negative buoyancy after planulation, and showed rapid metamorphosis into a primary polyp stage within 2 days. |
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