CARBON BUDGET STUDIES OF SYMBIOTIC CNIDARIAN ANEMONES - EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF SOME ASSUMPTIONS

Current models of carbon flux in symbiotic cnidarians are based on a n umber of parameters which are particularly difficult to measure direct ly. One of these is the duration of cytokinesis (t(d)), which in turn affects calculations of the algal-specific growth rate (mu(z)) and the carbon used for growth of the whole algal population (C-mu). Conventi onally a single t(d) value of 11 h, published from work on symbiotic a lgae in a tropical jellyfish, has been used even for the algae in Anth opleura elegantissima (Brandt), a temperate zone intertidal anemone. A model testing the effect of varying t(d) on carbon budget calculation s reveals the significance of the choice of t(d). Additionally we pres ent evidence for the equivalence of nighttime and daytime respiration rates in A. elegantissima. Finally, the metabolic activity of the inso luble mesogleal matrix of the anemone is shown to be insignificant, an d can be ignored without compromising carbon budget calculations.