Dispersal behavior in a cold-water coral is orchestrated via stage and species-specific physiology

Corals form important ecosystems that serve as habitat for numerous marine species. Being sessile, adult corals are exposed to changing environments without the means to relocate. Species dispersal is therefore restricted to the motile larval lifestage. How do microscopic larvae achieve reliable dispersal and conquest of novel habitats under time pressure and unpredictable environmental conditions? Here we show an unexpected diversity of behaviors in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa . Anatomical and behavioral changes of coral planula promote a change from neutral, passive buoyancy in the dispersal phase, to active swimming and search behavior during competency. As lipids are metabolized and sensory abilities develop, the coral larvae drastically change their motility patterns. Comparative analysis with a poorly dispersing, lecithotrophic anthozoan larvae reveals that developmentally timed sensory integration is conserved between species, but the behavioral modes and sensory responses are adapted to their particular ecology.