Biology and Ecology of the Hydrocoral Millepora on Coral Reefs

Lewis, John B.

doi:10.1016/s0065-2881(05)50001-4

Cited by 110 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…Stenoteles are penetrating nematocysts limited to the class Hydrozoa and are found mostly in hydras (20,21). In this study, we found the presence of few stenoteles in both Millepora species.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 54%

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Structure of nematocysts isolated from the fire corals Millepora alcicornis and Millepora complanata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)

García-Arredondo¹,

Rojas²,

Iglesias-Prieto³

et al. 2012

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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Structural characteristics of discharged and undischarged nematocysts from the hydrozoans Millepora alcicornis and Millepora complanata, two fire corals collected in the Mexican Caribbean, were examined using transmission electron, scanning and light microscopy. In this study, we report for the first time images of the nematocysts found in these Mexican Caribbean venomous species. Two types of nematocysts were observed in both species, the more abundant identified as macrobasic mastigophore and the other a stenotele type. Macrobasic mastigophores were present in medium and large size classes while stenoteles appeared in only one size.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 54%

“…The macrobasic mastigophore is a nematocyst type found exclusively in Millepora species and actually constitutes one reason for placing it in a separate suborder (21). In this study, we found that this type of nematocyst is the most abundant in the Caribbean species M. alcicornis and M. complanata.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 49%

Structure of nematocysts isolated from the fire corals Millepora alcicornis and Millepora complanata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)

García-Arredondo¹,

Rojas²,

Iglesias-Prieto³

et al. 2012

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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“…The different morphologies of Millepora have been attributed to the different environmental regimes along the reef structure (de Weerdt 1981;Vago et al 1994;Kaandorp 1999). Generally, delicate branching types are distributed in calm or deep waters, while blade-like and encrusting morphs are conspicuous in high-energy environments such as the reef crest (Lewis 2006). In the reef crest, Millepora is a fast colonizer of the substratum; a bladed morphology may limit the water impact and drag force while attaining more surface area to trap light and plankton.…”

Section: Phenotypic Plasticity and The Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…alcicornis is abundant in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Brazil, and West Africa, primarily at less exposed areas of reefs and lagoons (de Weerdt 1984;Lewis 2006). Colonies are branching; branches may be very delicate or coarse and largely united into plate-like constructions with flattened growing edges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Morphological and genetic evaluation of the hydrocoral Millepora species complex in the Caribbean

2014

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Background: The hydrocoral Millepora is an important framework builder that dominates shallow turbulent environments in the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic-Caribbean. The Caribbean representatives of the genus are classified in four species -Millepora alcicornis, Millepora complanata, Millepora striata, and Millepora squarrosa -but their taxonomic boundaries are not clearly defined. We used mitochondrial gene sequences to delineate the four Millepora species and evaluated whether morphological traits and mitochondrial sequence divergence were correlated for two most common species M. alcicornis and M. complanata. Results: Samples were collected from Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Curaçao, Grand Cayman, and Panama during 2006 to 2007. Diameter of dactylopores distinguished the branching and encrusting morphotypes of M. alcicornis and M. complanata, and gastropore diameter discriminated between M. alcicornis and M. complanata. High levels of haplotypic diversity (H d = 0.94) were observed, with the most common haplotypes shared by M. alcicornis and M. complanata. Sequence divergence ranged from 0% to 3% among M. alcicornis, M. complanata, and M. striata to 25% between these three species and M. squarrosa. Bayesian analysis of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene indicated the presence of three Caribbean taxa: M. squarrosa, M. striata, and the 'species complex' encompassing the morphologies displayed by M. complanata and M. alcicornis. Conclusions: The branched M. alcicornis and encrusted M. alcicornis and M. complanata can be differentiated morphologically but not genetically. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the Caribbean milleporids include three species -M. squarrosa, M. striata, and the species complex of M. alcicornis-M. complanata. Millepora striata is closely related to the M. alcicornis-M. complanata species complex.

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Living on fire: Deactivating fire coral polyps for larval settlement and symbiosis in the fire coral‐associated barnacle Wanella milleporae (Thoracicalcarea: Wanellinae)

Yap

Høeg

Chan

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Symbiosis is increasingly recognized as being an important component in marine systems, and many such relationships are initiated when free-swimming larvae of one partner settle and become sedentary on a host partner. Therefore, several crucial questions emerge such as the larva's mechanism of locating a host, selection of substratum and finally settlement on the surface of its future partner. Here, we investigated these mechanisms by studying how larvae of the fire coral-associated barnacle Wanella milleporae move, settle and establish symbiosis with their host, Millepora tenera. Cyprids of W. milleporae possess a pair of specialized antennules with bell-shaped attachment discs that enable them to explore and settle superficially on the hostile surface of the fire coral. Intriguingly, the stinging polyps of the fire coral remain in their respective pores when the cyprids explore the fire coral surface. Even when cyprids come into contact with the nematocysts on the extended stinging polyps during the exploratory phase, no immobilization effects against the cyprids were observed. The exploratory phase of Wanella cyprids can be divided into a sequence of wide searching (large step length and high walking speed), close searching (small step length and low speed) and inspection behavior, eventually resulting in permanent settlement and metamorphosis. After settlement, xenogeneic interactions occur between the fire coral and the newly metamorphosed juvenile barnacle. This involved tissue necrosis and regeneration in the fire coral host, leading to a callus ring structure around the juvenile barnacle, enhancing survival rate after settlement. The complex exploratory and settlement patterns and interactions documented here represent a breakthrough in coral reef symbiosis studies to show how invertebrates start symbiosis with fire corals.

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Biology and Ecology of the Hydrocoral Millepora on Coral Reefs

Cited by 110 publications

References 110 publications

Structure of nematocysts isolated from the fire corals Millepora alcicornis and Millepora complanata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)

Structure of nematocysts isolated from the fire corals Millepora alcicornis and Millepora complanata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)

Morphological and genetic evaluation of the hydrocoral Millepora species complex in the Caribbean

Living on fire: Deactivating fire coral polyps for larval settlement and symbiosis in the fire coral‐associated barnacle Wanella milleporae (Thoracicalcarea: Wanellinae)

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