''Aiptasia mutabilis'', also known as the trumpet anemone, rock anemone, and glass anemone, is a species of

anemone ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand an ...

typically found attached to substrates in cold waters of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Its unique trumpet shape gives it its common name and it can grow to be 12 cm, having a

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

between 3 and 6 cm in size. Like many

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that th ...

ns, they rely on

nematocyst A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast or nematocyte) is an explosive cell containing one large secretory organelle called a cnidocyst (also known as a cnida () or nematocyst) that can deliver a sting to other organisms. The presence of this ce ...

s for protection and to capture prey. They are not difficult to care for, and can be kept in a home

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

, although due to their speed of reproduction, can quickly become

overpopulated Overpopulation or overabundance is a phenomenon in which a species' population becomes larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale m ...

Description

Anatomy and morphology

''Aiptasia mutabilis'' is typically

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

shaped. It can grow to be 12 cm tall, and the column can have a diameter of 3 cm near the base and 6 cm at the mouth of the organism. The tall column is not segmented, and flares outward to a broad

oral disc The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or oral ...

. The

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s of ''A. mutabilis'' are shorter in length at the base, and they grow to be finer as you travel towards the end. The inner tentacles tend to be longer than the ones found towards the outside, and each organism can have up to 100 tentacles. ''A. mutabilis'', like other members of the genus ''Aiptasia'', have specialized stinging cells called nematocysts on their tentacles. When the column of the organism is extended, small perforations, called cinclides, can be observed, while the lower half of the column has numerous

warts Warts are typically small, rough, hard growths that are similar in color to the rest of the skin. They typically do not result in other symptoms, except when on the bottom of the feet, where they may be painful. While they usually occur on the ...

, which act as adhesive spots to help secure the organism to the substrate. Typically, ''A. mutabilis'' is a brownish color with areas that are opaque white. The tentacles are usually brown towards the bottom and turn lighter towards the tips. They can also have blue or green colors radiating throughout their body.

Nematocysts

Like most

s found in cnidarians, the nematocysts of ''A. mutabilis'' injects a

tubule In biology, a tubule is a general term referring to small tube or similar type of structure. Specifically, tubule can refer to: * a small tube or fistular structure * a minute tube lined with glandular epithelium * any hollow cylindrical body stru ...

of venomous substances as a respose to a

stimulus A stimulus is something that causes a physiological response. It may refer to: *Stimulation **Stimulus (physiology), something external that influences an activity **Stimulus (psychology), a concept in behaviorism and perception *Stimulus (economi ...

. This is typically used to capture prey, and the tubule will either adhere to or inject the prey. The nematocysts of ''A. mutabilis,'' like other nematocysts, have an inner

organoid An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an Organ (anatomy), organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy. They are derived from one or a few Cell (biology), cells from a Tissue (biology), tissue, ...

that takes up about 80% of the interior. It consists of a three layer capsule that contains a long thread that is coiled in capsule fluid. When there is a stimulus, a rapid eversion of the tubule occurs that penetrates the target's tissue and the toxins of the capsule fluid is injected into the tissue . Volume regulatory methods are important in most cells to keep them functioning, including nematocysts. ''A. mutabilis'' is able to regulate cell volume in both hypoosmotic and

hypertonic In chemical biology, tonicity is a measure of the effective osmotic pressure gradient; the water potential of two solutions separated by a partially-permeable cell membrane. Tonicity depends on the relative concentration of selective membrane- ...

conditions, which is crucial to their survival in changing environments. The presence of Ca²⁺ ions in seawater is needed for proper nematocyst discharge in ''A. mutabilis''. Without Ca²⁺, the ability of the organism to feed and protect itself is compromised. The nematocyte venom of ''A. mutabilis'' contains at least one or more toxins with powerful cytolytic activity. However, conditions of the habitat ''A. mutabilis'' lives in impact the

cytotoxicity Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa''). Cell physiology Treating cells ...

of the venom. A strong cytotoxicity is seen at a pH of 7.5, and at a pH of 4.5 or 9.5, the cytotoxicity was lost entirely. An environment that had a pH that is too low or to high can greatly impact the effect nematocysts have on helping ''A. mutabilis'' capture prey and defend itself.

Predation

There are multiple organisms that

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

on ''Aiptasia mutabilis,'' including various species of

butterflyfish The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the Atlant ...

filefish The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely rel ...

pufferfish Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfis ...

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to matc ...

s, some

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

species, and

hermit crab Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an a ...

s. These and other organisms prey on ''Aiptasia mutabilis'' in the wild and can be put into an aquarium system to keep their numbers down when they become invasive and overpopulate tanks.

Distribution and habitat

''Aiptasia mutabilis'' is usually seen in colder waters. It is typically found adhered to substrates, beneath overhangs, on walls, or on rocks deep under the sea surface. The greatest depth ''A. mutabilis'' has been found adhered to substrate was 100m below sea level. This species typically stays in shallower waters, usually at a depth of up to 50 below the surface. It has been found in the

, from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, along with being found in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

, Aegean, and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

seas.

Reproduction

''Aiptasia mutabilis'' has been known to reproduce both asexually and sexually. Although both methods are used, asexual reproduction has been most commonly seen in this species. To reproduce asexually, the anemone splits the column and separates. These two separate parts will adhere to a substrate and individuals will begin to develop from these smaller amounts of tissue from the original individual. This species can be infective, due to the speed at which they can reproduce, and for this reason they are not very popular aquarium anemones. Any tissue could potentially turn into an individual, making them quite prominent in the areas where they are found. To get from zygote to its adult life stage, ''A mutabilis'' will undergo metamorphosis. This beings with the morphogenesis of tentacles, septa, and pharynx. From here the larva settles and develops into its adult form.

Symbiotic relationships

''Aiptasia mutabilis'' acts as a

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

to many different organisms.

Algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

, rich in

fucoxanthin Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll, with formula C42H58O6. It is found as an accessory pigment in the chloroplasts of brown algae and most other heterokonts, giving them a brown or olive-green color. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green ...

, contribute to its dark brown coloring, and when these algae are not present, the organisms take a lighter, white color. ''A mutabilis'' will often turn white after an extended period of time in darkness, which is a condition in which this algae cannot survive.

Dinoflagellate The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...

s have also been known to have a symbiotic relationship with many different cnidarians within the genus ''

Aiptasia ''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 mangrov ...

'', including ''A. mutabilis''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q584526 Aiptasiidae Cnidarians of the Atlantic Ocean Fauna of the Mediterranean Sea Animals described in 1831 Taxa named by Johann Ludwig Christian Gravenhorst