Anthozoans exhibit great plasticity in their responses to stressful conditions, including decreasing individual size, detaching from the substratum and relocating, and releasing endosymbiotic microalgae. Another response to stress used by some colonial anthozoans is polyp bailout, in which the coenenchyme breaks down and individual polyps detach from the colony. We observed polyp bailout in the common Caribbean gorgonian Eunicea flexuosa after 8 h of aerial exposure. After 9 days, 28% of bailed-out polyps reattached, although none opened to resume feeding. Polyp bailout is a costly and high-risk escape response, but reattachment indicates that this can be a genet-saving behavior in cases where whole-colony mortality is likely. While it has been described in two octocorals, several species of scleractinians, and one black coral, we still do not know how widespread this behavior is in anthozoans.

中文翻译：

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丰富的加勒比八珊瑚Eunicea flexuosa的息肉救助和重新附着

珊瑚虫在对压力条件的反应中表现出极大的可塑性，包括减小个体大小、脱离基质和重新定位，以及释放内共生微藻。一些群居珊瑚虫对压力的另一种反应是息肉救助，在这种情况下，辅细胞分解，个体息肉从群落中分离出来。我们在空中暴露 8 小时后观察到常见的加勒比柳珊瑚 Eunicea flexuosa 中的息肉救助。9 天后，28% 的获救息肉重新附着，但没有人打开恢复进食。息肉救助是一种代价高昂且风险高的逃生反应，但重新附着表明，在可能发生全菌落死亡的情况下，这可能是一种保护基因的行为。虽然它已在两种八珊瑚、几种石珊瑚和一种黑珊瑚中被描述过，