Aggregation during settlement as a factor in the establishment of coelenterate colonies

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Abstract
Many hydrozoa form extensive single species colonies in the littoral zone. Though it is obvious that such colonies may arise by vegetative growth following the settlement of a solitary larva, it has not been previously established how such a larva finds an appropriate substrate, and that aggregate colonies can, in their first stages, arise as a result of gregarious behaviour of larvae at the time of attachment. Observations in the laboratory suggest that aggregated colonies can be formed by the release of larvae collectively in packets of indispersable mucus, by congregation of larvae resulting from mutually induced thigmotactic responses of larvae within a swarm; and from clustering as a consequence of the selection of attachment sites close to established individuals. There is evidence that in this latter mechanism the aggregation may be chemically induced. If gregariousness is widespread in coelenterates, the observation of Duerden (1902), that coral planulae produce clusters at settlement, is of particular interest as this may play an important role in the mechanism by which coral reefs become established.

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