Factors Produced by Symbiotic Marine Invertebrates which Affect Translocation between the Symbionts

Abstract

The translocation of nutrients between the partners is known to be a vital feature of the association in most symbioses involving close contact between the cells of the partners, and is probably important in all such associations. There is abundant evidence that this is a well-controlled process. Work so far suggests that, at least in marine invertebrates with algal symbionts, translocation is controlled largely by the animal host. In spite of much work in this area, the processes and signals involved are not well understood. This paper will examine evidence that even in the well-studied symbioses between invertebrates and dinoflagellates (“zooxanthellae”) the control of translocation is not as simple as suggested by the literature, and will discuss some directions for future research and some potentially useful models.