Cycloseris Curvata
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Cycloseris Curvata
OR:
Cycloseris Curvata on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

''Cycloseris curvata'' is a species of disc coral in the family
Fungiidae The Fungiidae () are a family of Cnidaria, commonly known as mushroom corals or plate corals. The family contains thirteen extant genera. They range from solitary corals to colonial species. Some genera such as '' Cycloseris'' and '' Fungia'' a ...
. ''Cyclosteris curvata'' is a mostly solitary free living
scleractinian Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyp (zoology), polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral di ...
disc coral found in the indo-pacific region. They grow on soft substrates and are known to tolerate turbid waters. Like other
anthozoan Anthozoa is one of the three subphyla of Cnidaria, along with Medusozoa and Endocnidozoa. It includes sessile marine invertebrates and invertebrates of brackish water, such as sea anemones, stony corals, soft corals and sea pens. Almost all ...
corals they lack a medusa stage characteristic of other cnidarians. They have been observed as both green and brown in color in the field.


Description

''Cylosersis curvata'' polyp structure is composed of strong arches which can be up to 90 millimeters in diameter. Characteristic of other Anthozoans, they have a large
gastrovascular cavity The gastrovascular cavity is the primary organ of digestion and circulation in two major animal phyla: the Coelenterates or cnidarians (including jellyfish and corals) and Platyhelminthes (flatworms). The cavity may be extensively branched into ...
which is divided into walls known as
septa SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...
, which serve to increase interior surface area. In ''C. curvata'' they are generally thick and protrude outward. When viewed from above the septa appear to curve asymmetrically. ''C. curvata'' like other cnidarians have
nematocysts A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast) is a type of cell containing a large secretory organelle called a ''cnidocyst'', that can deliver a sting to other organisms as a way to capture prey and defend against predators. A cnidocyte explosively ...
which are stinging tentacles that contain either a barbed or venomous coiled thread. This can be used in both self defense or to capture prey.


Body plan

Like other Cnidarians, they exhibit an oral-aboral body plan which is characterized by one side containing their mouth and the other without it. Additionally they exhibit
radial symmetry Symmetry in biology refers to the symmetry observed in organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. External symmetry can be easily seen by just looking at an organism. For example, the face of a human being has a plane of symme ...
meaning their body is symmetrical around a central axis.


Distribution

''Cycloseris curvata'' have been found in depths ranging from 0-30 meters /sup>. They are widely distributed through tropical environments ranging from 32°N-31°S. And 32°E-77°W /sup>.


Life cycle

At the basis of their life cycle, their
zygotes A zygote (; , ) is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote's genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information of a new individual organism. The sexual ...
become planular
planktonic Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in water (or air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they pro ...
larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...
. They continue through a series of
metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...
forming tentacles,
septa SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...
, and a
pharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the human mouth, mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates ...
until they ultimately settle as a polyp /sup>. ''Cycloseris curvata'' have been found to inhabit soft
benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...
substrates in both inter-reef and reef environments. They can tolerate temperatures ranging from 22°C-27°C


Reproduction

Anthozoans are either
gonochoristic In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric. Gonochorism contras ...
or
hermaphrodites A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...
.
Germ cells A germ cell is any cell that gives rise to the gametes of an organism that reproduces sexually. In many animals, the germ cells originate in the primitive streak and migrate via the gut of an embryo to the developing gonads. There, they undergo ...
originate in the
endoderm Endoderm is the innermost of the three primary germ layers in the very early embryo. The other two layers are the ectoderm (outside layer) and mesoderm (middle layer). Cells migrating inward along the archenteron form the inner layer of the gastr ...
and are eventually moved to the
gastrodermis Gastrodermis (from Ancient Greek: , , "stomach"; , , "skin") is the inner layer of Cell (biology), cells that serves as a lining membrane of the gastrovascular cavity in cnidarians. It is distinct from the outer epidermis and the inner dermis and ...
where they will differentiate. Once the
germ cells A germ cell is any cell that gives rise to the gametes of an organism that reproduces sexually. In many animals, the germ cells originate in the primitive streak and migrate via the gut of an embryo to the developing gonads. There, they undergo ...
have matured they are released through the coelenteron into the sea, as a result reproduction is external. In this process many
gametes A gamete ( ) is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that reproduce sexually. Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred to as sex cells. The name gamete was introduced by the Ge ...
are produced to increase likelihood of fertilization. /sup> They can also reproduce asexually through
budding Budding or blastogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division at one particular site. For example, the small bulb-like projection coming out from the yeast cell is kno ...
or fragmentation. /sup>


Behavior

Individuals feed by extending their tentacles and trapping small
zooplankton Zooplankton are the heterotrophic component of the planktonic community (the " zoo-" prefix comes from ), having to consume other organisms to thrive. Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents. Consequent ...
through a process known as
suspension feeding Filter feeders are aquatic animals that acquire nutrients by feeding on organic matters, food particles or smaller organisms (bacteria, microalgae and zooplanktons) suspended in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a specia ...
. /sup> Larger cnidarians can catch fish and crabs with their
nematocysts A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast) is a type of cell containing a large secretory organelle called a ''cnidocyst'', that can deliver a sting to other organisms as a way to capture prey and defend against predators. A cnidocyte explosively ...
. /sup> Not much is known about their interactions with other species, however they seem to form
symbiotic Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...
relationships with
photosynthetic Photosynthesis ( ) is a Biological system, system of biological processes by which Photoautotrophism, photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical ener ...
symbionts. /sup>


References

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q13507538 Fungiidae Cnidarians of the Indian Ocean Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Marine fauna of Oceania Marine fauna of Southeast Asia Animals described in 1870