Zooxanthella
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /zuːzanˈθɛlə/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Zooxanthella is a noun meaning Any of various typically yellow-brown dinoflagellates (originally grouped as genus Zooxanthella) now assigned to the genera Symbiodinium and Amphidinium, notably found in coral reefs.
Meaning
Any of various typically yellow-brown dinoflagellates (originally grouped as genus Zooxanthella) now assigned to the genera Symbiodinium and Amphidinium, notably found in coral reefs.
More Meanings
- (archaic) Any of the yellow pigmentary particles, or minute corpuscles of yellow coloring matter, found in certain radiolarians.
Example Sentences
The zooxanthellae produce carbohydrates, via photosynthesis, and the polyps harvest these carbohydrates, much as farmers harvest corn.
One genus, the zooxanthellae, live in symbiosis with tropical corals and other animals including clams, jellyfish and nudibranchs, providing in some cases as much as 90 per cent of the nutrients the anima needs in return for a safe home.
Word Forms
- zooxanthellae
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include phycoxanthin, lichnoxanthine, uroxanthin, xanthoxenite, euxanthine, euxanthin.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
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