Colony is the basic geometric construction of coral reef. However, both
the forming regulations of colony and reef are still obscure. In this
study, we reconstructed 21 important samples by high-resolution
micro-computed tomography to investigate coral growth pattern and
parameter. Our skeleton and canal reconstructions revealed
characteristics of different coral species and we further visualized the
growth axes and growth rings to reveal coral growth directions. We drew
a skeleton gray-scale map and calculated coral skeleton void ratios to
reveal skeletal diversity, devising a method to quantify coral growth.
On the bases of the 3D reconstructions and growth parameters, we
investigated growth strategies of different coral species. This work
extends the knowledge of how reef-building corals grow their colonies,
giving a hint on reef forming regulation. The data of this paper contain
large amount of coral growth information, and can be used in further
research on reef forming patterns under different conditions. The method
used in this study can also be applied in animals with porous skeletons.