Why Xenia pulses

[mogurnda]

I thought this was pretty cool. Most of us have wondered about it, and someone finally did the right experiments to show that pulsing increases photosynthesis. Oxygen is generated by photosynthesis, and it inhibits the process. The pulsing helps to move O2 away, and increases photosynthesis by a factor of 10.

 

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112829197/why-soft-corals-pusate-042313/

[Sharkey18]

Thanks for sharing!

[Coral Hind]

That is pretty cool information. I agree, thanks for sharing this! So if xenia stops pulsing does it mean it is already getting enough O2 exchange? Or, is it lacking something else, maybe iodine, which prevents it from pulsing and in turn reduces the coral's ability to properly exchange O2?

[mogurnda]

I was wondering that myself. It would be interesting to test whether Xenia pulses more in tanks with low circulation.

 

My aging brain is failing me, but I seem to remember the only time my pulsing sinularia actually pulsed was when the circulation failed. That would support the idea.

[dave w]

i thought xenia wasn't photosynthetic, is my memory faulty?