Elegance I am normally in agreement with your posts, but I am curious if you have a source for this statement?
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...pKH1Dw&usg=AFQjCNF7g83rA7DXQv_iCgdjuApwZB6v6Q
A quote from the link.
" Our Symbiodinium quantification system revealed that wild hermatypic corals constantly release Symbiodinium to the environment."
I realize the link above is a study done on coral, and not anemones specifically. There is much more research done on corals than anemones. As I'm sure you're aware, if we restrict ourselves to studies done exclusively on anemones, our data base will be very limited. The symbiotic relationship that corals and anemones have with their zooxanthellae is very similar. IMHO, we stand to learn a great deal about this relationship in anemones, by studying it in corals.
Many tropical coral reefs simply would not exist if the animals, like corals and anemones, were not constantly discharging zooxanthellae. Many of these reefs are bathed in very nutrient poor water. Water that does not support much in the way of plankton, or free living zooxanthellae. That's why the water is so clear.
There's virtually nothing in it. These animals must have a source of zooxanthellae or they could not survive. Broadcast spawned larvae need to find zooxanthellae in the water, or die. The reef is constantly changing. As it does, these animals may need to change zooxanthellae clade to adapt to these changes. When these animals bleach, they must be able to obtain new zooxanthellae from the water, or die. If the water coming in from the open ocean contains little, or no, zooxanthellae, where are these animals going to get it, if the animal's neighbor isn't discharging it? If these animals are not constantly discharging zooxanthellae, they aren't sharing zooxanthellae, and the whole system breaks down.
This is a very interesting subject to me, but if we are to continue the conversation, maybe we should get our own thread????
Sorry for the Hijack D-Nak
