First report of chimerism in the Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum)

Abstract

The phenomenon of chimerism in the Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum) is reported and quantified in semi-natural conditions. 1688 larvae were maintained in closed circuit in presence of a suitable settlement surface (marble tiles). Post settlement survival and chimera formation were monitored for 1 year. According to our observation, when polyps settle at close contact, a high frequency of chimerism is observed (32%). After 1 year, only 33% of chimeric individuals survived but they are 40% bigger than not chimeric ones, suggesting that chimerism could confer a competitive advantage linked to increased growth rate.

Stochastic diffusion characterises early colony formation in Mediterranean coral Corallium rubrum

“…Although the red coloured axial skeleton is a recognisable feature of this species, its development requires the initial maturation of the colony, and it starts to form only when the colony reaches two to four years of age after the initial settlement of the larva [25,33,34,31]. The initial colony structure is, instead, marked only by the sclerites [39]. Sclerite deposition starts approximately two weeks after the settlement of the larva and continues throughout the entire life of the polyps.…”

“…In early colony development, sclerites are observed as the exclusive calcite building blocks [39]. Moreover, the growth mechanism of the early stage colonies and at the tip of the adult colonies share similarities [33].…”

“…In Our model integrates information from analytical studies on C. rubrum development to isolate the processes driving the growth of newly settled individuals [25,30,33,34,31]. We have shown in [39] that the skeleton formation during the first 2 years of life in C. rubrum happens exclusively by sclerite deposition.…”

Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Species: Some Hints for Adopting a Population Approach

“…Rossi, S. et al, 2008;Gori et al, 2011;Angiolillo et al, 2015). 2) Concerning the overharvested, precious octocoral Corallium rubrum, there have been recent reports of chimerism (two or more new settlers co-occur to form a new single colony; Giordano & Bramanti, 2021). This peculiar demographic feature should be quantified and included in demographic models for gorgonian corals.…”

A Vital Staining Practice That Discerns Ancestry within Groups of Settling Larvae of a Brooding Coral

“…These outcomes have significant impacts on corals' survivorship, physiology, fitness, and morphology [6,16,[18][19][20]. The wide distribution of coral chimerism in nature is another indication that aggregated settlement of coral larvae is common, beyond what has been thought [21][22][23][24][25][26] (Figure 1a). However, the lack of appropriate tools limited research activities on aggregated settlements and the impacts of planulae origin.…”