Australia And yet it moves: How corals move around
Although corals are animals, they generally appear quite immobile. However, certain species are quite capable of actively seeking out more favorable locations in the reef, as a research team explains in the scientific journal "PLOS".
24.01.2025, 06:30
SDA
The mushroom coral Cycloseris cyclolites, for example, uses a method called "pulsed inflation". Laypeople might call this procedure wobbling.
Unlike the other species, free-living corals are not always firmly attached to the substrate beneath them. The way of life of such mobile corals is still largely unknown, according to the study.
The team led by Brett Lewis from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane used high-resolution time-lapse recordings to track down the migration of young mushroom corals. They inflate rhythmically, similar to a swimming jellyfish, and quickly contract their rounded bodies again. The results are a kind of mini hop in a certain direction. According to the data, the animals, which are only a few centimetres long, can move more than 20 centimetres within a few hours.
Many corals are masters of bloating
According to the researchers, pulsed inflation appears to be widespread among freely moving corals. They could also use it to stand up again from a kind of supine position and free themselves from sediment if they were buried in it during a storm, for example.
Cycloseris cyclolites shows a special preference for blue light, the researchers added. In around 90 percent of the test runs, the corals moved towards blue light sources, and in only around 20 percent towards white light. This is consistent with their preference for deeper water habitats, where blue wavelengths dominate, it said.
Cycloseris species are stony corals and are often kept in seawater aquariums.
