Fertilized eggs of the gorgonian, Leptogorgia virgulata were obtained by controlling the photoperiod. These were reared in the laboratory through metamorphosis, then transferred to field locations for growth to maturity. A precise timetable for development was obtained and compared to other octocorals. The inheritance of color was studied by transmission genetics. Spicular color is governed by a single gene with four alleles: Magenta, orange, yellow and metachromatic. The first three are codominant; while metachromatic is dominant to magenta, but recessive to both orange and yellow. Color variance and distribution in the population of Leptogorgia at Alligator Harbor, Florida could be explained on the basis of genetics and growth. An attempt was made to analyze the spicules by physical and chemical techniques. The coloring material is derived from a colorless organic molecule that becomes colored when bound into the calcium carbonate matrix of the spicule. Attempts to reconstitute the pigment-crystal complex by precipitation or recrystallization were unsuccessful. The ectoparasitic snail, Siminialena uniplicata, feeds on Leptogorgia and possesses a shell that matches its host in color. The snail shell coloration is obtained directly from the tissues of the host coral; the color was not extracted from ingested spicules. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: B, page: 0849. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74171 |
| Contributors | ADAMS, ROGER OMAR., The Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 96 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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