Polyp extension time-series data of Dendrophyllia ramea under different temperature and water flow conditions

This dataset contains 265,600 time-series observations of polyp extension in the deep-sea scleractinian coral Dendrophyllia ramea (Linnaeus, 1758), collected during a controlled laboratory experiment investigating the effects of temperature and water flow on coral behavior. Fourteen colonies were maintained for two years under four temperature treatments (12, 16, 20, and 24°C) before behavioral monitoring. Colonies were subsequently exposed to two successive water flow conditions: low flow (approximately 7 cm s⁻¹) and high flow (approximately 16 cm s⁻¹). Polyp extension was assessed from time-lapse photographs acquired at one-minute intervals using an ordinal scale ranging from 0 (fully closed) to 4 (fully extended with turgid tentacles), following Lasker (1979). Each row represents the extension level of an individual polyp at a given observation time. The dataset includes colony and polyp identifiers, experimental temperature, water flow condition, observation time in minutes, and polyp extension score. These data support analyses of temperature- and flow-dependent polyp extension, behavioral variability, complete polyp closure, within-colony synchrony, and short repeated cycles of polyp extension. A README file provides the experimental context, variable definitions, and methodological information. Associated publication: Guttierez T. et al. (submitted). Temperature and Flow-Dependent Behavioral Patterns in the deep-water coral Dendrophyllia ramea. Frontiers in Marine Science.