Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Soft Corals :: Reproduce Nature Wildlife Essays

Aintimate and Sexual Reproduction in Soft Corals The dispute between sexual and asexual genteelness is a competition that has been ongoing for millions of years. Somewhere along the way due to its higher level of genetic variation, sexual reproduction was able to overcome the two fold advantage of asexual reproduction, and now dominates reproduction in organisms. However, some types of organisms such as worms and corals have acquired the magnate to reproduce both sexually and asexually. The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences in asexual and sexual reproduction both from a biological and an ontogenyary standstill and to explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Introduction Soft corals are very widespread among the colossal Barrier Reef and other Indo-Pacific coral reefs. On the Great Barrier Reef they may cover up to 37% of the reef area (Bastidas, et. al, 2001). unconstipated though soft corals are abundant on the Great Barrier Reef they have been overshadowed by the study of hard corals. Very little inquiry has been conducted on them, yet they are just as fascinating as their hard coral neighbors. The main purpose of this paper is to explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually. To do this I will first introduce soft corals, then explain the types of reproduction soft corals are capable of, and finally explain why evolution has made it possible for soft corals to reproduce both sexually and asexually, using many studies to support my claims. Most of the information on this topic was very species specific, but this paper will explain the reproductive evolution of soft corals in a broader array that will pertain to the scientific order Alcyonacea, or all types of soft corals.What are soft corals? Soft corals are grouped in the phylum Cnidaria, disunite Anthozoa, and order Alcyonacea. Their distinguishing characteristic is that their polyps always bear eight tentacles which are on both edges fringed by rows of pinnules (Fabricius and Death, 2002). The common name soft coral comes from the position that they have no massive external skeleton as compared to the more commonly studied hard corals.