Unveiling the extraordinary mobility of mushroom corals, these solitary creatures defy convention by ‘walking’ without legs through a unique process of inflation and pulsation.
The Unlikely Walker: How Mushroom Corals Migrate Without Legs
Mushroom corals are known for living as solitary creatures, unlike their reef-building cousins that thrive in colonies. These shaggy, round corals, belonging to the family Fungiidae, have a unique way of moving without legs.
Mushroom corals, also known as mushroom polyps, are a type of coral that belong to the family Fungiidae.
They have a distinctive appearance, resembling mushrooms with a rounded cap and stalk-like base.
Mushroom corals are found in tropical waters around the world and play a vital role in marine ecosystems by providing habitat for numerous species.
They are relatively small, typically growing up to 10 inches in diameter.
Despite their small size, 'they have been used in aquariums for decades due to their unique appearance and low maintenance requirements.'
New time-lapse photography has revealed the intricate details of how these corals ‘walk‘. Instead of banding together, mushroom corals pulse and inflate their soft bodies like jellyfish, using this motion to nudge forward. This process is achieved by turning inflations and pulsations into tiny hops, allowing the coral polyp to move slowly but surely.
Mushroom coral movement refers to the process by which mushroom corals, a type of coral polyp, move through their environment.
This movement is typically slow and occurs over long distances.
Research suggests that mushroom corals can travel up to 1 meter in a single night, with some species moving as far as 10 meters in a year.
The exact mechanisms behind this movement are still not fully understood, but it's believed to be influenced by factors such as water currents, temperature, and light exposure.
The Journey Begins
Young mushroom corals start life on reefs, where they lurk for tiny prey. However, before they get too heavy to nudge themselves along, they make one great migration off the reef. This remarkable journey is propelled by puffing up on the outer rim of their dome-shaped body and jolting forward with each pulse.
Mushroom coral, a species of coral found in tropical waters, has been observed migrating across the ocean floor.
This phenomenon is attributed to changes in water temperature and chemistry.
Research suggests that mushroom coral can move up to 1 meter per day, making it one of the fastest-moving corals in the world.
Scientists believe this migration may be an adaptation to cope with climate change, allowing the coral to seek out more favorable living conditions.
A Slow but Determined Pace
The speed at which mushroom corals move may seem slow – an hour or two of ‘walking‘ couldn’t even cross a dinner plate – but eventually, they find a deeper place to settle on sand. Their bodies are wrapped by a sticky biofilm that snags unwary little creatures to eat, and when a coral senses a catch, the mouth – or several mouths – open to suck the film and doomed prey toward a stomach with an internal bouquet of wormy filaments.
A Monstrous but Fascinating Process
Brett Lewis, a coral biologist and microscopist from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, has been studying these corals for years. He notes that while they may seem adorable, if they were bigger, it would be terrifying. Their bodies are capable of remarkable feats, such as turning over after being knocked upside down or even punching directly out through their body wall.
A Possible Explanation
Marine naturalist Bert W. Hoeksema from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, has a theory about how these corals stand up when knocked upside down. He believes that jet propulsion may help small mushroom corals make the decisive move. This idea is supported by observations of coral mouths spitting out water and the polyp having multiple mouths.
A Fascinating Discovery
The new imaging shows a coral on the move puffing up its dome, but only a ring at the base of the dome makes firm contact with the bottom. ‘Like getting up on your tippy-toes a little bit,’ Lewis says. Then, with a jellyfish-like pulsation, the inflating coral peels loose from the bottom with a bouncing little micro-hop. When it settles down to grip the bottom again, it’s not quite in the same place it was. Time for the next inflation, and the next…
- sciencenews.org | How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs
