And the recruits are infected!!!

We just received word today that the M. faveolata recruits that we left at the Univ. of Miami Experimental Hatchery (see below) have acquired algal symbionts. In this species, as with most hard corals, the newly settled coral acquire its symbionts anew each generation. Our next step will be to sample these corals to determine what symbiont type that they initially take up - which is one of the goals of this study.



Three week old recruit with algal symbionts - note the greenish-brown specs in the tentacles