Benefits and costs of the grazer-induced colony formation in<i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i>

Yang, Zhi‐gang; Kong, Fanxiang; Yang, Zhou; Zhang, Min; Yu, Yang; Qian, Shijun

doi:10.1051/limn/2009020

Cited by 65 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…These contrasting results suggest great variability in the response of different protozoa to microcystin-producing cyanobacteria. In addition to microcystin production, colony formation in Microcystis can also act as a defence against grazers and has been shown to affect Ochromonas clearance rates (Yang et al 2009). Because Microcystis often forms large colonies, the impact of Ochromonas grazing on single-celled Microcystis strains in our small-scale laboratory experiments cannot be easily extrapolated to natural waters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microcystins do not provide anti-herbivore defence against mixotrophic flagellates

Wilken¹,

Wiezer²,

Huisman³

et al. 2010

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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While most experiments investigating zooplankton grazing on harmful cyanobacteria have been carried out with metazoan plankton, several protozoa can also feed efficiently on cyanobacteria. We investigated grazing by the mixotrophic flagellate Ochromonas sp. on the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. Ochromonas sp. grew rapidly on M. aeruginosa and had a strong impact on the population density of its prey. However, specific growth rates of Ochromonas sp. decreased over time, possibly indicating a negative impact on Ochromonas sp. mediated by M. aeruginosa. Grazing did not have any effect on the intracellular microcystin content of M. aeruginosa, and the ingested microcystins did not accumulate within Ochromonas sp. We studied the functional and numerical response of Ochromonas sp. grazing on the microcystin-producing strain M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 and its microcystin-deficient mutant. Ochromonas sp. showed a Type 3 functional response of very similar shape on both the toxic and non-toxic M. aeruginosa strain. Ingestion rates of Ochromonas sp. were even slightly higher on the toxic M. aeruginosa strain. We therefore found no indication of microcystins acting as a defence against mixotrophic flagellates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microcystins do not provide anti-herbivore defence against mixotrophic flagellates

Wilken¹,

Wiezer²,

Huisman³

et al. 2010

Aquat. Microb. Ecol.

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“…induced colony formation in the freshwater cyanobacterial species Microcystis aeruginosa, whereas M. aeruginosa populations in the control and the grazing treatments of the copepod Eudiaptomus graciloides, cladoceran Daphnia magna and rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus were still strongly dominated by single and paired cells, with no colony formation occurring. Colony formation effectively increased the survival of M. aeruginosa (Yang et al, 2009).…”

Section: Morphological Defences In Phytoplanktonmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Lürling & Van Donk, 2000), but studies showing that costs can be fairly high are starting to accumulate (Strauss et al, 2002;Cipollini et al, 2003), although most of the work has been done on terrestrial plants rather than on phytoplankton (but see, e.g. Yang et al, 2009). The costs can also be of an ecological nature.…”

Section: Constitutive Versus Induced Defencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Induced defences in marine and freshwater phytoplankton: a review

2010

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Many organisms have developed defences to avoid predation by species at higher trophic levels. The capability of primary producers to defend themselves against herbivores affects their own survival, can modulate the strength of trophic cascades and changes rates of competitive exclusion in aquatic communities. Algal species are highly flexible in their morphology, growth form, biochemical composition and production of toxic and deterrent compounds. Several of these variable traits in phytoplankton have been interpreted as defence mechanisms against grazing. Zooplankton feed with differing success on various phytoplankton species, depending primarily on size, shape, cell wall structure and the production of toxins and deterrents. Chemical cues associated with (i) mechanical damage, (ii) herbivore presence and (iii) grazing are the main factors triggering induced defences in both marine and freshwater phytoplankton, but most studies have failed to disentangle the exact mechanism(s) governing defence induction in any particular species. Induced defences in phytoplankton include changes in morphology (e.g. the formation of spines, colonies and thicker cell walls), biochemistry (such as production of toxins, repellents) and in life history characteristics (formation of cysts, reduced recruitment rate). Our categorization of inducible defences in terms of the responsible induction mechanism provides guidance for future work, as hardly any of the available studies on marine or freshwater plankton have performed all the treatments that are required to pinpoint the actual cue(s) for induction. We discuss the ecology of inducible defences in marine and freshwater phytoplankton with a special focus on the mechanisms of induction, the types of defences, their costs and benefits, and their consequences at the community level.

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“…The formation of large colonies is also effective in preventing cyanobacteria from being grazed by zooplankton (Jarvis et al, 1987;Yang et al, 2009). Colony formation is not only involved in defense against zooplankton grazing; some ecological advantages of cyanobacteria are strongly related to their colony morphology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of large colony formation in bloom-forming cyanobacteria to dominate in eutrophic ponds

Yamamoto

Shiah

Chen

2011

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

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-The distribution of bloom-forming cyanobacteria in eutrophic to hypereutrophic ponds was studied in northern Taiwan in 2009. Eighty-four ponds were sampled in mid-summer, and the relationship between colony size and relative abundance of each cyanobacterial species was analyzed. Anabaena crassa and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii were the dominant species in terms of frequency of appearance. The colony size of An. crassa increased significantly with its relative abundance. The relative abundance of C. raciborskii was usually below 10%, and its filament length was not correlated with its relative abundance. The colonies of Microcystis aeruginosa normally consisted of several tens of cells. However, when M. aeruginosa exclusively dominated the plankton community, the average number of cells in a colony reached several hundreds. The mean filament length of Planktothricoides raciborskii significantly increased with its relative abundance. The correlations between colony size and relative abundance of the ten cyanobacterial species were significantly positive for three species, insignificantly positive for five species and insignificantly negative for two species. Given the various ecological advantages of large colonies, the results of this study may suggest that the formation of large colonies of some cyanobacterial species is important to their dominance and/or bloom formation.

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Benefits and costs of the grazer-induced colony formation inMicrocystis aeruginosa

Cited by 65 publications

References 40 publications

Microcystins do not provide anti-herbivore defence against mixotrophic flagellates

Microcystins do not provide anti-herbivore defence against mixotrophic flagellates

Induced defences in marine and freshwater phytoplankton: a review

Importance of large colony formation in bloom-forming cyanobacteria to dominate in eutrophic ponds

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