Aiptasia reveals new mechanisms of coral bleaching

[Frankie]

Written by Jessi Kershner

Aiptasia anemones, just like corals, have formed a unique partnership with algae. These zooxanthellae provide the anemone with food, and in turn, the algae are protected and receive nutrients from the anemone host. This partnership is stable under normal conditions, but when there is stress from increased seawater temperatures, the partnership breaks down. The anemone host cell can release the zooxanthellae through several different mechanisms and the symbiont can be degraded, resulting in bleaching. The reason why scientists make use of these anemones is that they can be kept alive easily (even without zooxanthellae), can be manipulated in the laboratory (such as induced bleaching) and grow fast. Scientists can even disrupt gene function in this animal, allowing them to discover how genes regulate all life aspects of Aiptasia.
For the complete article:

Coral Science - Aiptasia reveals new mechanisms of coral bleaching

[lcstorc]

I knew aiptasia was usefull somewhere.
Great article.