zooxanthella

[zoh-uh-zan-thel-uh]

zo·o·xan·thel·la

[zoh-uh-zan-thel-uh]
noun, plural zo·o·xan·thel·lae [thel-ee] .
any of various symbiotic yellow-green or yellow–brown algae in the cytoplasm of certain radiolarians and marine invertebrates.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To zooxanthella

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Zooxanthella has a plethora of syllables.
So is antidisestablishmentarianism. Does it mean:
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.
opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

zooxanthella

flagellate protozoan (or alga) with yellow or brown pigments contained in chromatophores that lives in other protozoa (foraminiferans and radiolarians) and in some invertebrates. In illuminated conditions, zooxanthellae use the carbon dioxide and waste materials of the host, supplying oxygen and food substances in return. They spend their resting stage in the host; at times they escape and become free-swimming, independent flagellates. Examples of zooxanthellae are Cryptomonas (see cryptomonad) and Chrysidella.

Learn more about zooxanthella with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature