《科学》（Science）报道，澳大利亚海洋研究所（AIMS）的科学家日前发现，当恶劣气候袭击来时，大堡礁珊瑚的后代在落脚及成熟前，能自行进行基因复制，脆弱的胚胎并不会全数随着大浪袭来而死去。
珊瑚通常透过生殖进行繁衍，脆弱的卵子会在被释出至大海之前或之后受精，接着随着海浪漂至新栖息地。研究结果发现，大海若出现风暴等恶劣气候，珊瑚后代能够自我复制，而不会就此支离破碎。
科研人员原先认为，珊瑚胚胎如果遭遇海浪冲散，可能无法孵化成幼虫，但经过调查后发现遭冲散的胚胎有很大一部分得以成功复制出较小且能存活的胚胎。这些复制胚胎可正常孵化成珊瑚幼虫，最终蜕变成珊瑚虫。研究人员认为很可能是缺乏细胞膜保护的珊瑚受精卵，确保了珊瑚的繁衍。(生物谷：Bioon.com)
doi:10.1126/science.1216055
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Turbulence, Cleavage, and the Naked Embryo: A Case for Coral Clones
A. J. Heyward, A. P. Negri
After mass spawning events, coral embryos, lacking the protective capsule of other metazoans, are directly exposed to the environment at the ocean surface. Here, we present evidence that modest turbulence disrupts the integrity of these embryos, which fragment into totipotent cells that develop into proportionately smaller functional larvae. The level of turbulence required to fragment coral embryos can be generated from small wind-generated waves, which occur frequently during coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef. The formation of planktonic coral clones, through natural embryo fragmentation of broadcast spawn, is a previously unknown mode of reproduction in the animal kingdom.
