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Cnidaria: Secreted Surface

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Biology of the Integument

Abstract

The epithelium covering cnidarians can secrete a surface coat with an impressive variety of functions. Secreted coats of individual cnidarians or cnidarian colonies can provide support, aid in food capture, adhere to substrata and clean away debris that settles on these animals. In a fashion characteristic of cnidarians, the surface epithelium secretions of these animals shows a wide range of functions although they are produced by a tissue that displays a low level of organization. In this discussion, I review the structure and chemical composition of cnidarian secreted surfaces that serve several different functions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA, 92521

    James G. Tidball

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  1. James G. Tidball
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Biologie, Universität Kinematische Zellforschung, Postfach 111932, D-6000, Frankfurt a.M., Germany

    Jürgen Bereiter-Hahn

  2. Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, 80 East Concord Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    A. Gedeon Matoltsy

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire ST5, 5BG/GB, UK

    K. Sylvia Richards

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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Tidball, J.G. (1984). Cnidaria: Secreted Surface. In: Bereiter-Hahn, J., Matoltsy, A.G., Richards, K.S. (eds) Biology of the Integument. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-51593-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-51593-4_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-51595-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-51593-4

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