Octocoral question

[Tinker]

Does the intensity of the toxins increase or decrease according to the corals enviroment? Just curious if they are aware of another coral in close proximity maybe through physical contact or by sensing some specific chemical in the water. I didn't find any comments on this in the books.

 

[Eric Borneman]

It depends - the toxins of soft corals may not have a primary purpose of toxicity against other organisms, and it may be a secondary effect. For example, during reproduction. Generally speaking, and provided there is energy available to manufacture them, toxins will be ramped up in response to various stresses - predation, injury, competition, etc.