The creation of a corallite depends on many things.
Through both asexual and sexual reproduction, coral has evolved
to both mix the genetic information of parents and also to clone itself,
enabling genetically successful corals to reproduce and spread over a larger area.
The diversity of a coral region is determined by an optimum level of disturbance.
Storms, predators and disease all work to keep particular populations
at an equilibrium that enables some colonies to survive up to 700 years.