[OrionN]

I agree that if I have mean and the money, doing a randomized trial of treatment would be the way to show the effect of Zooxanthellae transplant on the recovery of the anemone. Or even better, we can do DNA analysis of the Zooxanthellae to know for sure that the repopulated Zooxanthellae for sure come from the donor anemone. I do it as soon as you send me the money.

Joking aside, I have done one transplanted in the past and also read various accounts where the transplant were done. Often after the anemone bleached for many months, and the zooxanthellae repopulated at around 10 days plus or minus 2 days. While this may not be air tight result like a randomized trials, it is good enough for me.

Just because we don't have the very best data due to it is not practical, we don't have to throw out all the other data that we have. We can logically deduce the probable outcome, even if we don't have the perfect data.