We introduced ceramic tiles as a substrate for the larvae to settle on. These tiles had been on the reef about three months and had developed a partial covering of crustose coralline algae (a settlement cue for coral larvae). The tiles were placed in the coolers on Saturday evening (below) and by Sunday morning, many larvae had settled onto the tiles (left). So, now the next step is metamorphosis where the newly settled larvae develops tentacles and becomes a coral polyp - so stay tune!
No comments:
Post a Comment