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Host feeding and nutrient sufficiency for zooxanthellae in the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida

Marine Biology volume 98, pages 253–262 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

Nutrient sufficiency of zooxanthellae in the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida cultured in low nutrient seawater depends on the availability of particulate food to the host. Zooxanthellae in anemones unfed for 20 to 30 d exhibited the following characteristics of nutrient deficiency: cell division rates decreased; chlorophyll a content gradually decreased from 2 to <1 pg cell−1; and C:N ratios increased from 7.5 to 16. Over a 3-mo period, algal populations in unfed anemones gradually decreased, indicating that zooxanthellae were lost faster than they were replaced by division. The mitotic index of zooxanthellae in unfed anemones was stimulated either by feeding the host or by the addition of inorganic N and P to the medium. Whether algae are nutrient-limited in hosts under field conditions has not been examined fully; however, C:N ratios in zooxanthellae from field-collected hosts are slightly higher (9.4 vs 7.5) than in hosts fed to repletion in laboratory cultures. This observation might indicate N limitation in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bermuda Biological Station for Research, 17 Biological Station Lane, GE-01, Ferry Reach, Bermuda

    C. B. Cook

  2. Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 38, 20688-0038, Solomons, Maryland, USA

    C. F. D'Elia & G. Muller-Parker

Authors
  1. C. B. Cook
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  2. C. F. D'Elia
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  3. G. Muller-Parker
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Communicated by J. P. Grassle, Woods Hole

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Cook, C.B., D'Elia, C.F. & Muller-Parker, G. Host feeding and nutrient sufficiency for zooxanthellae in the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida . Mar. Biol. 98, 253–262 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391203

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Keywords

  • Chlorophyll
  • Cell Division
  • Field Condition
  • Mitotic Index
  • Nutrient Deficiency