Polyp-canal reconstruction reveals evolution towards complexity in corals (Dataset Part 22)

There are 17 files in this dataset. This is the 22nd part of this dataset. The A. millepora, A. muricata, C. vaughani, M. capricornis, M. foliosa, P. damicornis, P. meandrina, P. verrucosa, and S. pistillata samples were collected from the Xisha Islands (2018); the A. digitifera, F. speciosa (2008), and M. turgescens (2017) samples were collected from the Nansha Islands; the P. lutea samples were collected from the Weizhou Islands (2017); the G. fascicularis, and M. stellata samples were collected from the Gaven Reef (2017); the A. myriophthalma samples were collected from the Reed Tablemount (2017); the P. sinensis samples were collected from the Subi Reef (2017). All samples, which occurred in large arborescent colonies forming thickets, were found in tropical shallow reefs of the marine neritic zone, from depths of about 5 to 10 m. The daily mean temperature was between 23.2 and 29.2°C. The coral samples were kept whole and housed in our laboratory coral tank, where all conditions were simulated to reflect those of their habitat in the South China Sea. These samples were kept in the tank for about one to three months before HRCT analysis.