How does coral reproduce asexually and what's it called?

Answer 1

Corals exhibit. The coral colony expands in size by budding. Budding may be intratenacular, in which the new bud forms from the oral discs of the old polyp, as in Diploria, or extratentacular in which the new polyp forms from the base of the old polyp, as in Montastraea cavernosa. A common type of asexual reproduction in corals is by fragmentation. Broken pieces of corals that land on a suitable substrate may begin growing and produce a new colony. This type of reproduction is common in branching corals like Acropora cervicornis in which a positive correlation was found between fragment size and survival. Many coral species mass spawn. Within a 24 hour period, all the corals from one species and often within a genus release their eggs and sperm at the same time. This occurs in related species of Montastraea, and in other genera such as Montipora, Platygra, Favia, and Favites (Wallace, 1994). In some Montastraea and Acropora species, the eggs and sperm are released in a sack. They float to the surface where they separate and fertilization takes place. Intraspecies is common but mass spawning raises the possibility of hybridization by congeneric species (Wallace, 1994). The zygote develops into larvae called planula which attaches itself to a suitable substrate and grows into a new colony. Some species of coral brood their larvae. The sperm fertilizes the egg before both are released from the coral. The larvae float to the top, settle, and become another colony. Species of Acropora release brooded larvae.

Answer 2

Asexually, as eggs and sperm are expelled into the water, to fertilise in the water without physical contact between male and female coral polyps.