coelenterate sensory systems

[Jeremy Woodley]

Is it not well known that corals have a ciliated epidermis?  It creates
superficial currents used for cleaning and feeding.

On Tue, 1 Jun 1999, anya salih wrote:

> >Is anyone familiar with the anatomy of surficial microstructures
> >on polyp tentacles.  I have observed on SEM small (~1 micron) hair-like
> >structures and have seen them referred to, in a book entitled "Microbial
> >Seascapes", as a bacterial lawn.  It has been brought to my attention
> >that they curiously resemble cilliated epithelium. If anyone has seen
> >these structures or has
> 
> I have seen (by light microscopy) cilia  on the epidermal layer of many
> corals. If coral tissues are mechanically broken up or chemically
> dissociated, the clumps of tissues will then rapidly rotate in seawater
> from the action of beating cilia on their surfaces. Bacteria are also
> present on the surface and can be just made out by light mircroscopy, are
> much smaller and thinner. The epidermal layer of coral larvae is also
> ciliated. I would think that the cilia increase the absorption surface
> area.
> 
> Anya
> 
> Anya Salih                      Internet:  anya at emu.usyd.edu.au
> Marine Physiology Lab           Telephone:02-93513006 (Zool)
> Zoology AO8                               02-93517540 (EMU)
> School of Biological Sciences   Facsimile:02-93517682
> The University of Sydney
> Sydney, 2006, AUSTRALIA
> 
> 
>