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Neoplasms on elkhorn coral, A. palmata
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A
neoplasm is an irregular, calcified mass of skeleton and tissue that
projects above the surface of the colony. It is covered with undifferentiated
tissue that lacks symbiotic algae; polyps are not recognizable. These
tumors form by the deposition of coenosteal skeletal material (the
area between corallites) over normal coral calices. Certain cells
within the neoplasm (calicoblastic epithelial cells) grow and multiply
at a rapid rate and in a disorderly process, causing a progressive
increase in the size of the tumor.
This condition may slowly advance upward and outward, as tissue in
the center of the tumor dies. Neoplasms often appear in multiple locations
on a colony, and several colonies in one area may be affected. Most
commonly affects elkhorn coral. |
