Experimental study of growth and asexual reproduction in Diaseris distorta (Michelin, 1843), a free-living fungiid coral

A solitary, free-living fungiid coral, Diaseris distorta, was reared in an aquarium and X-radiographed monthly for one year to study growth and asexual reproduction. The corals were treated three ways: 1) hand-split along radially oriented slits, 2) cut into pieces with scissors, and 3) reared without manipulation. The number of corals increased with time by radial fragmentation, a result of natural autotomy. Fragments, both control and hand-split, generated equal numbers of daughter segments. Corals that were cut produced more regenerated segments than control or hand-split corals because the cut corals provided a greater periphery from which daughter segments could regenerate. Growth rate was size-dependent. After fragmentation, the founder segment ceased horizontal growth until the new, regenerating segments gained nearly the same size as the founder segment.

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