Polyp-Canal Reconstruction Reveals Evolution Toward Complexity in Corals  

作　　者：Yixin Li Xin Liao Xin Wang Yuanchao Li Hongwei Zhao Yunpeng Zhao Junyuan Chen Chunpeng He Zuhong Lu 

机构地区：[1]State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics,School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering,Southeast University,Nanjing 210096,China [2]State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering,Dalian University of Technology,Dalian 116024,China [3]Guangxi Key Lab of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization,Guangxi Mangrove Research Center,Guangxi Academy of Sciences,Beihai 536000,China [4]Hainan Academy of Ocean and Fishery Sciences,Haikou 571126,China [5]State Key Laboratory of Marine Resources Utilization in South China Sea,Hainan University,Haikou 570228,China [6]Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,39 East Beijing Road,Nanjing 210008,China

出　　处：《Research》2024年第1期417-428,共12页研究（英文）

基　　金：the Open Research Fund Program of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Mangrove Conservation and Utilization(grant number GKLMC-202002);Guangxi Key Research and Development Programme funding(grant number AB19245045).

摘　　要：Modern scleractinian corals are classified into robust,complex,and basal clades through comparative molecular studies.However,only few morphological or biological criteria can systematically determine the evolutionary trajectories of these major scleractinian coral clades.Here,we obtained the structural information of 21 scleractinian coral species representing robust and complex clades:High-resolution micro-computed tomography was used to reconstruct the polyp-canal systems in their colonies and to visualize the dynamic polyp growth processes.We found that the emergence of mesh-like canals may distinguish representatives of complex and robust clades.The differences in polyp-canal connections suggest distinct evolutionary trajectories among coral species:The formation of the canal network promoted the development of more complex coral structures,and coral polyps within this network formed calices of very similar volume,following precise axial growth directions.The influence of individual polyps on the coral colony becomes less significant as coral structures become more complex,and coral species with more complicated polyp-canal systems occupied niches more efficiently.This work supplements current evolutionary studies on reef-building corals,providing insight for further studies on coral growth patterns.

关 键 词：CORAL representing DIRECTIONS 

分 类 号：P73[天文地球—海洋科学]