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''Aiptasia'' is a genus of a symbiotic cnidarian belonging to the class Anthozoa (sea anemones, corals). ''Aiptasia'' is a widely distributed genus of temperate and tropical sea anemones of benthic lifestyle typically found living on mangrove roots and hard substrates. These anemones, as well as many other cnidarian species, often contain symbiotic dinoflagellate unicellular algae of the genus ''Symbiodinium'' living inside nutritive cells. The symbionts provide food mainly in the form of lipids and sugars produced from photosynthesis to the host while the hosts provides inorganic nutrients and a constant and protective environment to the algae. Species of ''Aiptasia'' are relatively weedy anemones able to withstand a relatively wide range of salinities and other water quality conditions. In the case of ''A. pallida'' and ''A. pulchella'', their hardiness coupled with their ability to reproduce very quickly and out-compete other species in culture gives these anemones the status of pest from the perspective of coral reef aquarium hobbyists. These very characteristics make them easy to grow in the laboratory and thus they are extensively used as model organisms for scientific study. In this respect, ''Aiptasia'' have contributed a significant amount of knowledge regarding cnidarian biology, especially our understanding of cnidarian-algal symbioses, a biological phenomenon crucial to the survival of corals and coral reef ecosystems. The dependence of coral reefs on the health of the symbiosis is dramatically illustrated by the devastating effects experienced by corals due to the loss of algal symbionts in response to environmental stress, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. == Species == Species in the genus ''Aiptasia'' include: *''Aiptasia californica'' Carlgren, 1952 *''Aiptasia carnea'' Andrès, 1881 *''Aiptasia couchii'' (Cocks, 1851) (currently accepted as a junior synonym of ''Aiptasia mutabilis'') *''Aiptasia diaphana'' (Rapp, 1829) *''Aiptasia erythrochila'' (Fischer, 1874) *''Aiptasia insignis'' Carlgren, 1941 *''Aiptasia inula'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) *''Aiptasia leiodactyla'' Pax, 1910 *''Aiptasia mimosa'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) *''Aiptasia minuta'' (Verrill, 1866) *''Aiptasia mutabilis'' (Gravenhorst, 1831) *''Aiptasia pallida'' (Agassiz in Verrill, 1864) *''Aiptasia parva'' Carlgren, 1938 *''Aiptasia prima'' (Stephenson, 1918) *''Aiptasia pulchella'' Carlgren, 1943 *''Aiptasia saxicola'' Andrès, 1881 *''Aiptasia tagetes'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aiptasia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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