Do anemones benefit?

[bmarine]

We were talking about symbiosis today in science class, and my science teacher said that a clownfish and an anemone have a relationship where only the clownfish benefits. Now is this true? Or do anemones benefit from clowns hosting them too?

[Bill0181]

Some anemones benefit from the clown bringing bits of food back to it. It is not essential for the anemone but some target feeding by the clown does help it out.

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Originally Posted by bmarine

We were talking about symbiosis today in science class, and my science teacher said that a clownfish and an anemone have a relationship where only the clownfish benefits. Now is this true? Or do anemones benefit from clowns hosting them too?

Actually the anemones also benefit. Since the clownfish stays in the anemone almost always, it grabs food and eats it inside the anemone. Then the scraps from the Clownfish's meal is eaten by the anemone. So both benefit.

[jeffaquarius]

If an anemone is in a place where it does not recieve ample lights then yes it benefits from hosting clown. Otherwise, your teacher is telling you half the truth.

[bmarine]

K gotcha, thats what i thought, because i was pretty sure that the clown also helped the anemone in same way.

[Holygral]

I have 6 large nems and the clowns only host 1, and there is no difference from the hosted nem and the non hosted nems

[Grizz]

A new studs suggest that the clown swimming next to the Nem at night tends to oxygenate the water, there buy benefiting the host nem.

http://www.livescience.com/27530-clo...-anemones.html

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....athe-at-night/

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/...aspx?id=217129