Abstract
Calcification of zooxanthellate and non-zooxanthellate corals from 2 classes and 3 orders of Cnidaria was investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy. The ultrastructure of the skeleton and skeletogenic tissues (the calicoblastic ectoderm) from areas of active and non-active skeleton deposition were investigated. The results show that the fundamental cellular mechanism of calcification is similar in all 3 orders, and that the role of endosymbiotic zooxanthellae may be one that is concerned with the removal of waste products of the calcification process. The results are discussed with respect to the concepts of calcification and its evolution in the Cnidaria.
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Le Tissier, M.D.A. The nature of the skeleton and skeletogenic tissues in the Cnidaria. Hydrobiologia 216, 397–402 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026492
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026492