| 1. |
- Fistarol, Giovana, et al.
(författare)
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Temporary cyst formation in phytoplankton: a response to allelopathic competitors?
- 2004
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Ingår i: Environmental Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1462-2912 .- 1462-2920. ; 6:8, s. 791-798
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Competition among phytoplankton for limiting resources may involve direct or indirect interactions. A direct interaction of competitors is the release of chemicals that inhibit other species, a process known as allelopathy. Here, we investigated the allelopathic effect of three toxic microalgae species (Alexandrium tamarense, Karenia mikimotoi and Chrysochromulina polylepis) on a natural population of the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea. Our major findings were that in addition to causing death of S. trochoidea cells, the allelopathic species also induced the formation of temporary cysts in S. trochoidea. Because cysts were not lysed, encystment may act as a defence mechanism for S. trochoidea to resist allelochemicals, especially when the allelopathic effect is moderate. By forming temporary cysts, S. trochoidea may be able to overcome the effect of allelochemicals, and thereby have an adaptive advantage over other organisms unable to do so.
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| 2. |
- Legrand, Catherine, et al.
(författare)
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Allelopathy in phytoplankton – biochemical, ecological and evolutionary aspects
- 2003
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Ingår i: Phycologia. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0031-8884 .- 2330-2968. ; 42:4, s. 406-419
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is considered self-evident that chemical interactions are a component of competition in terrestrial systems, but they are largely unknown in aquatic systems. In this review, we propose that chemical interactions, specifically allelopathy, are an important part of phytoplankton competition. Allelopathy, as defined here, applies only to the inhibitory effects of secondary metabolites produced by one species on the growth or physiological function of another phytoplankton species. A number of approaches are used to study allelopathy, but there is no standard methodology available. One of the methods used is cross-culturing, in which the cell-free filtrate of a donor alga is added to the medium of the target species. Another is to study the effect of cell extracts of unknown constituents, isolated exudates or purified allelochemicals on the growth of other algal species. There is a clear lack of controlled field experiments because few allelochemicals have been identified. Molecular methods will be important in future to study the expression and regulation of allelochemicals. Most of the identified allelochemicals have been described for cyanobacteria but some known toxins of marine dinoflagellates and freshwater cyanobacteria also have an allelochemical effect. The mode of action of allelochemicals spans a wide range. The most common effect is to cause cell lysis, blistering, or growth inhibition. The factors that affect allelochemical production have not been studied much, although nutrient limitation, pH, and temperature appear to have an effect. The evolutionary aspects of allelopathy remain largely unknown, but we hypothesize that the producers of allelochemicals should gain a competitive advantage over other phytoplankton. Finally, we discuss the possibility of using allelochemicals to combat harmful algal blooms (HABs). Allelopathic agents are used for biological control in agriculture, e.g. green manures to control soil diseases in Australia, but they have not yet been applied in the context of HABs. We suggest that phytoplankton allelochemicals have the potential for management of HABs in localized areas.
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