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Deep Water Corals Invade!

By cmcclain on June 19, 2008.

Sometimes research comes about that really makes my whole week. This time it is a little diddy from Lindner et al. in PLoS. We could go through all the specifics of the paper...they sequenced 100 coral species from a single family or that family is the second most diverse group of hard corals.

But all you really need to know is that this family didn't originate in shallow water but in the deep sea! After the group evolved in the deep, gathering the necessary anti-predatory equipment, they invaded the shallow water tropics at least three times. O but that was not enough! They additionally invaded a temperate shallow water at least once for good measure.

So all those mammby-pammby shallow water workers who think they have exclusive rights on corals can get bent. Your corals wouldn't exist without ours! So pay some respect to your elders.

There is only one thing to do now! You the readers must create LOL CORALZ 2 SHOW R GR8TNSS!

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For those who are interested, Linder et al studied Stylaster spp. hydrocorals. California divers will recognize these as the purple deep water species Stylaster californicus found on deep banks with peaks ~40-50m around Channel Islands. Caribbean divers will recognize these as the more diminutive and fragile Stylaster roseus found on shallow overhangs.