Nematocyst replacement in the sea anemone Aiptasia Pallida following predation by Lysmata Wurdemanni: an inducible defense?

The sea anemone Aiptasia pallida is a biological model for anthozoan research.
Like all cnidarians, A. pallida possesses nematocysts for food capture and defense.
Studies have shown that anthozoans, such as corals, can rapidly increase nematocyst
concentration when faced with competition or predation, suggesting that nematocyst
production may be an induced trait. The potential effects of two types of tissue damage,
predator induced (Lysmata wurdemanni) and artificial (forceps), on nematocyst
concentration was assessed. Nematocysts were identified by type and size to examine the
potential plasticity associated with nematocyst production. While no significant
differences were found in defensive nematocyst concentration between shrimp predation
treatments versus controls, there was a significant difference in small-sized nematocyst in
anemones damaged with forceps. The proportions of the different types of nematocysts between treatment types were also found to be different suggesting that nematocyst
production in A. pallida is a plastic trait.