Abstract
The comparative morphology of the axial skeleton was studied in representatives of 5 reef-dwelling gorgonian families and 2 antipatharian genera by electron and light microscopy. Comparative axial histochemistry, amino acid composition and the physico-chemical character of the protein were also studied. Evidence obtained indicates that collagen is a widespread and prominent structural feature of the gorgonian axial skeleton. Aromatic crosslinkage (sclerotization) also appears to be of widespread, if not universal occurrence in these animals. Sclerotization is equally characteristic of the black coral skeletons studied, but this material does not contain collagen. Its unusual composition, structure, and reactivity is discussed.
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Communicated by M.R. Tripp, Newark
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Goldberg, W.M. Comparative study of the chemistry and structure of gorgonian and antipatharian coral skeletons. Marine Biology 35, 253–267 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396873
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396873