Grafting and hybridizing corals

[Masonjames]

From anything I've read about it, it can be successful but changes are not permanent. Not in the mother polyp, nor any of the babies. New babies will take on mothers original qualities depending on which side they grow out from. No matter you end up with one or the other in the end. People have even attempted to bleach out a zoa or paly and throw a more prettier one in a blender and pour zoa mush into tank with bleached zoas hoping the less prettier would take in some of the zooxanthellae of the blended one. Which had not proven any results either. People have attempted many differnt ways of trying to create new hybrids, colour morphs etc. Heck it would be a pretty lucrative venture if a person could just make new zoa and paly colour morphs at home. So of coarse people will always be trying. Lol. Just not gonna happen. Cutting polyps in half and sticking them together will not be able to create a new lasting morph. Sure if successful some species of coral (not limited to zoas and plays) may tolerate each other and may even form a beneficial relationship to some extent as that has been fairly well documented with wild coral species, and you have even seen it yourself in your own attempts and others in theirs by chance etc, but you still only have one and/or the other. So to make a new species or morph at home by splicing them together, just not gonna happen. Not unless you can manipulate them at a genetic level. But that's just my opinion. Don't let me deter you from trying if you want. Is a cool thought, and I would love to see it possible, I just don't think it is.

[soapy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiodinium

Read that link guys, very interesting. It appears the zoox can move around from coral to coral in certain circumstances, or perhaps multiple strains per coral that account for all the colour changes. Read this paragraph in particular: Symbiodinium species diversity assigned to different ecological guilds

[Masonjames]

Yes, although even as described it seems any changes, losses, or intakes are still relatively temporary and heavily based on environmental stressors. Remove them from such stresses and any change that may have took place will be slowly filtered out as well. I believe that is why no two identical pieces are going to look the same in everyone's tank. How come your X looks different then my X? I bought this coral and it was full of colour and now it's been a month and the colours just don't seems to be as they were originally, or the opposite, and wow look at how this plane jane coloured up. Etc. The environmental stressors in each tank are going to be different and thus the relationship between host and zoo are going to adapt and respond to these and visible changes can certainly take place. You could pass the exact same coral around between multiple tanks and in each tank it could look different. Some even notice big changes between the exact same piece in the display, and the exact same piece in there frag tank that is plumbed into the exact same system or even differnent characteristics within the same display, one higher, one lower, flow, shade, available nutrient etc. Etc. However the genetic make up is still the same, and genetic dominance of any given traits will always prevail. So sure we can see colour variances and so called "morphs" between yours and mine but those changes will be based on the environment they are subjected to and does not mean we have created some new color combination nor will we be able to. The genetics are the dominating factor, and genetically we cannot change what the predisposition of a species is. Not unless we manipulate them on a genetic level. However as I mentioned in my earlier post, it has been well documented that some species may indeed, tolerate, and even form to an extent a beneficial relationship if allowed to grow and fuse together and even take advantage of the others predispositions to accommodate there own needs. Most specifically nutrient sharing. But your still only left with one and the other. Nothing new has been created. No hybrid. No new super species. It's just not going to happen at home IMO no matter how many we cut up and piece together or inject one into another etc.

[soapy]

I find it interesting that at least some corals have the ability to host multiple strains or species of symbiodinium. The question of whether this is what is responsible for colour changes and to what degree is what I find curious or if the symbiodinium themselves change colour. The other thing I am wondering about is Zoox jumping from one host to another.

[Masonjames]

And I think for that reason is why you can witness your corals fuse together and not outright kill each other. And some species may be better with dealing with such an exchange as the hosts themselves may be capable of hosting the new incoming zoox. Some not so much and just won't happen. If the two hosts both singly meet all those somewhat perfect requirements for being able to host additional zoox as well as being able to host or at the very least tolerate the exact species of zoox within the opposite host they will come in contact with, then it seems as though they may certainly be able to form some sort of relationship. And some may indeed benefit each other by such. One may be better predisposed at nutrient intake during the winter months and the other during the summer, and the second one on its own intake in the winter may come to a halt. If such a relationship has been created one may be able to intake nutrient from the other, and vise versa. So nutrient can be somewhat shared year around between the two allowing year around growth etc for one or both. It seems to be very dependant on the exact species of host as well as harborer and allot of perfects need to fall into place in order for it to happen. Which is why most would probably not be capable to host the zoox species contained within there neighbour as the species at both levels are more then likely species specific. But again, there is nothing new created. No new species, hybrid, morph etc. Just two corals that have met all the requirements to tolerate its neighbour and it's harborers. If you took a frag with equal parts from both you would inevitably be left with the dominant host/zoox. Not a hybrid a both. Colour intake, losses the same. I think we need some biologist to chime in. Lol. Cuz I'm far from qualified to answer with any real certainty. Lol. And would love to hear some more input as well as it is an interesting topic.