Aiptasia sp.

Invasion History

First Non-native North American Tidal Record:
First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record:
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record:

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General Invasion History:

None

North American Invasion History:

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Description

None

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

Aiptasia sp. reproduce rapidly by pedal laceration, in which sections of the 'foot' are shed and develop into adult anemones. Aiptasia sp. feeds on zooplankton but also harbors symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae), and receives nutrition through their photosynthesis (Marino et al. 2008).

Food:

Zooplankton, epibenthos.

Trophic Status:

Suspension Feeder

SusFed

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Habitats

General Habitat	Coarse Woody Debris	None
General Habitat	Marinas & Docks	None
General Habitat	Mangroves	None
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Salinity Range	Euhaline	30-40 PSU
Tidal Range	Subtidal	None
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Broad Temperature Range	None	Tropical
Broad Salinity Range	None	Polyhaline-Euhaline

General Impacts

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Regional Impacts

SP-XIII	None		Ecological Impact	Competition
'Currently, no quantitative data exist to describe the impact Aiptasia sp. is having on the ecosystem. However, it is clear from direct observation that Aiptasia sp. is a thriving competitor for space and can heavily alter benthic diversity (Figure 16.9). Mangrove root and shallow water communities that were once dominated (in terms of both space and numbers) by algae or diverse assemblages of invertebrates are now dominated by invasive anemones' (Marino et al. 2008)
SP-XIII	None		Economic Impact	Aesthetic
Jellyfish Lake is one of Palau's majpr tourist attractions, where divers can swim among dense swarms of beautiful, non-stinging, migrating jellyfish (Mastigias sp.). Impacts of Aiptasia on this ecosystem are not known, but could constitute a threat to this unique ecosystem. Small-scale attempts of eradication have been unsuccessful (Marino et al. 2008).

References

Marino, Sebastan and 14 authors (2008) The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008, NOAA/NCCOS Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s Biogeography Team, Silver Spring MD. Pp. 488-507

Zanolla, Marianela; Carmona, Raquel; Kawai, Hiroshi; Stengel, Dagmar B.; Altamirano, María (2019) Role of thermal photosynthetic plasticity in the dispersal and settlement of two global green tide formers: Ulva pertusa and U. ohnoi, Marine Biology 166(123): Published online
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3578-1

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