Abstract
Colony architecture in branching colonial organisms is established through iterated processes of the structural units (modules), both zooids and the branches. Different approaches to analyzing colonial organization have revealed an intrinsic order to branched forms. By using mathematical models such as fractals, simulations of diffusion and flow, applying tree architectural models and developmental canalization ideas or analyzing heterochrony, attempts have been made to mimic the rules of colony formation. However, most approaches have not prioritized the rationale that structures and rules which govern the way a branching organism is built are heritable characteristics, and that even phenotypic plasticity is the expressed outcome of plasticity genes. There is no model system yet for the study of genetic impact on the architecture of branching modular organisms. Stylophora pistillata, an Indo-Pacific hermatypic coral, is treated here as such a model. S. pistillata morphometric characters are then analyzed...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
