Sexual and asexual production of planulae by corals from the central Great Barrier Reef

Collections of two hermatypic (zooxanthellate) species of corals (Seriatopora hystrix and Acropora palifera) and two ahermatypic (non-zooxanthellate) species of corals (Tubastrea diaphana and Tubastrea coccinea) were made between September and November, 1984 in the central Great Barrier Reef.Fragments of individual colonies were maintained in 1 litre containers of unaerated sea water at room temperature. The water was changed daily and checked for the presence of planulae, which were transferred to a separate container and kept alive for up to 7 days. Only actively swimming planulae were selected for electrophoresis. Adult tissue samples were frozen at -80°C, and tissue extracts for electrophoresis were prepared from fresh or frozen material.All adults and planulae were homogenised on cold plates (Selander RK, Smith MH, Yang SY, Johnson WE and Gentry JB (1971) Biochemical polymorphism and systematics in the genus Peromyscus. I. Variation in the old-field mouse (Peromyscus polionotus). Stud. Genet., Austin, Tex. 6, 49-90. (Univ. Tex. Publ. No. 7103). Electrophoresis was used to provide evidence of the mode of production of brooded planulae in hermatypic and ahermatypic corals from the Great Barrier Reef. Ahermatypic (non-zooxanthellate) corals were included in the study to overcome the difficulties of confirming genetic interpretations of allozyme variation due to the presence of symbiotic zooxanthellae in hermatypic species.

本数据集采集了4种珊瑚的样本：2种造礁（虫黄藻共生，zooxanthellate）珊瑚——蜂巢珊瑚属*Seriatopora hystrix*与轴孔珊瑚属*Acropora palifera*，以及2种非造礁（无虫黄藻共生，non-zooxanthellate）珊瑚——筒星珊瑚属*Tubastrea diaphana*与*Tubastrea coccinea*。样本采集于1984年9月至11月间，采集区域为大堡礁中部海域。

将单个珊瑚群落的组织碎片置于1升未充气的海水容器中，于室温下保存。每日更换容器内海水，并监测浮浪幼虫（planulae）的产生情况：一旦观测到浮浪幼虫，即将其转移至独立容器中，最长可存活饲养7天。仅选取活跃游动的浮浪幼虫用于电泳（electrophoresis）实验。

成年珊瑚组织样本经采集后置于-80℃环境冷冻保存；用于电泳实验的组织提取物则以新鲜或冷冻的组织材料制备。所有成年个体及浮浪幼虫均在冷板上完成匀浆处理（Selander RK、Smith MH、Yang SY、Johnson WE 及 Gentry JB (1971) 《鹿鼠属的生化多态性与系统分类学 Ⅰ：田鼠旧巢鼠（*Peromyscus polionotus*）的遗传变异》，《遗传学研究》，德克萨斯州奥斯汀，第6卷，49-90页，德克萨斯大学出版物编号7103）。

本研究通过电泳技术，旨在阐明大堡礁造礁与非造礁珊瑚育幼浮浪幼虫的产生模式。研究纳入非造礁珊瑚样本，旨在解决因造礁物种体内共生虫黄藻的存在，导致难以对等位酶变异的遗传学解释进行验证的技术难题。