Observations on the Relationships Between Several Species of Tropical Zoanthids (Zoanthidea, Coelenterata) and Their Zooxanthellae
Reimer AA. 1971. Observations on the Relationships Between Several Species of Tropical Zoanthids (Zoanthidea, Coelenterata) and Their Zooxanthellae. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 7:207-214
Zoanthids of the genera Palythoa and Zoanthus regulate their populations of symbiotic zooxanthellae by expelling surplus algae produced under constant illumination. Zooxanthellae are also expelled when the polyps are placed under stress conditions such as salinities slightly higher than normal (35%), temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, or under starvation. The algae are released in a polyp-like body formed by a concentrically rolled filament very similar to the mesenterial filaments of the animals and which contains extraordinary numbers of healthy-looking zooxanthellae. The significance of zooxanthellae for their hosts is specific and was observed to be greatest for Zoanthus sp. Aposymbiotic polyps of this species rapidly regressed and died under starvation.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Reimer, Amada
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Algae, Marine organisms, Mesenterial Filaments, polyps, Population regulation