Probably a stupid question….

[Derrick0580]

When an anemone splits I realize it’s technically a clone of the mother, but if the original nem is a male is the split always a male and vice versa? Or is it possible a split can be a different sex?

 

[davidcalgary29]

Not a stupid question! But anemones exhibit a wide variety of reproductive strategies which makes a general discussion difficult. Many species exhibit “sexual plasticity” which allow individuals to self-fertilize, reproduce asexually, and reproduce sexually. Like many cnidarians, the concept of ‘male’ and ‘female’ is contextual and a poor analogy for mammalian reproduction.

There’s an excellent article out there on aiptasia reproduction. For those of you battling them, the article states that reproduction during summer photoperiods and thermal maxima is TEN times that during the winter. I think we may need to shorten light periods to mimic winter photoperiod conditions.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Asexual they are and the genus will be determined by the clone as a better term

 

[Derrick0580]

I guess I should have mentioned bubble tips specifically