After floating at the surface, the planulae swim back down to the bottom, where, if conditions are favorable, they will settle. Once the planulae settle, they metamorphose into polyps and form colonies that increase in size. In most species, the larvae settle within two days, although some will swim for up to three weeks, and in one known instance, two months. Many species of stony coral spawn in mass synchronized events, releasing millions of eggs and sperm into the water at the same time.
Learn more and view a larger image. Here, a coral releases sperm into the water. Coral bleaching is of particular concern today as our climate changes and temperatures rise. Corals are sessile, which means that they permanently attach themselves to the ocean floor, essentially "taking root" like most plants do.
We certainly cannot recognize them by their faces or other distinct body parts, as we can most other animals. Corals actually comprise an ancient and unique partnership, called symbiosis , that benefits both animal and plant life in the ocean. Corals are animals, though, because they do not make their own food, as plants do. Corals have tiny, tentacle-like arms that they use to capture their food from the water and sweep into their inscrutable mouths.
The larvae look for hard, rock-like structures on which to settle, and research has shown that they prefer healthy reefs with favorable conditions. Once they settle, the larvae turn into polyps and form coral colonies that continue to grow. Natl Acad. USA advance online publication doi Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Reprints and Permissions.
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