[Coral-List] Sponges: individual counting

[Catherine Desrosiers]

Dear Coral-listers, 

As I’m beginning my field study on sponges in Martinique, I faced the problem 
of how to realize the determination of the number of individuals. For 
branching forms in particular and some incrusting one, is each exhalant 
operture representing one individual or is the entire colony counted for a 
unique individual?
If the ones who has already done this type of measures could provide me 
information, I would be grateful for their help.

Catherine Desrosiers
Marine Environment Observatory of Martinique
7 avenue Condorcet
97200 Fort de France
Martinique (French West Indies)
ommm at wanadoo.fr

catcat at tzone.org                                              ---+--+--@