Macroalgal Chemical Defenses and Their Roles in Structuring Tropical Marine Communities

Pereira, Renato Crespo; Gama, Bernardo A.P. da

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-74181-7_2

Cited by 37 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 127 publications

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“…Mortensen are the major invertebrate species (Sabino and Villaça, 1999). All these algal species are known to produce defensive chemicals against consumers (Pereira and Da Gama, 2008), and we could presuppose that they live under high herbivory pressure. On the other hand, Praia Rasa possesses turbid seawater and the most diverse algal flora of Rio de Janeiro state, and the sea-urchin Echinometra lucunter Linnaeus is usually found slightly above algal belts dominated by a dense cover of Sargassum spp.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chemical defenses of macroalgae have been extensively investigated during last 20 years, encompassing since species from Antarctic polar waters to those from the tropics (Pereira and Da Gama, 2008), and including several species of green, brown, and red ones. In fact, several species of macroalgae have the capacity to produce secondary metabolites, which exhibit important and vital ecological roles as defense and/or signal compounds (Amsler, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among these chemicals, isoprenoid and acetogenin derivatives are recognised as the primary class of defensive metabolites in these algae (Harper et al, 2001). In addition, red macroalgae are also characterised by the production of an impressive array of halogenated compounds exhibiting defensive properties against herbivory (Pereira and Da Gama, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chemical defense in the red seaweed Plocamium brasiliense: spatial variability and differential action on herbivores

Pereira

Vasconcelos

2014

Braz. J. Biol.

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Species of Plocamium are known as prolific sources of halogenated secondary metabolites exhibiting few explored ecological roles. In this study the crude extracts from specimens of P. brasiliense collected in two distinct places, Enseada do Forno and Praia Rasa, Búzios, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, were evaluated as defense against the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus and the crab Acanthonyx scutiformis. These specimens produce a similar amount of crude extract and also halogenated monoterpene compound-types, but individuals of P. brasiliense from Praia Rasa exhibit a major compound representing about 59% of the total chemicals. Natural concentrations of the crude extracts obtained from both specimens of P. brasiliense significantly inhibited the herbivory by the sea urchin L. variegatus, but had no significant effect on the feeding by A. scutiformis, a crab commonly associated to chemically defended host. Crude extract from P. brasiliense collected at Praia Rasa was more efficient as defense against L. variegatus than that crude extract from populations of this alga from Enseada do Forno, probably due to presence of a major secondary metabolite. These two studied population live under different environmental conditions, but they are only about 30 Km apart. However, it is impossible to affirm that environmental characteristics (abiotic or biotic) would be responsible for the difference of defensive potential found in the two populations of P. brasiliense studied here. Further genetic studies will be necessary to clarify this question and to explain why populations of a single species living in different but close locations can exhibit distinct chemicals. Keywords

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chemical defense in the red seaweed Plocamium brasiliense: spatial variability and differential action on herbivores

Pereira

Vasconcelos

2014

Braz. J. Biol.

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“…Several recent studies have revealed that some of these compounds function as chemical defenses able to deter a broad range of natural enemies including competitors, epiphytes, pathogenic bacteria and herbivores (AMSLER;FAIRHEAD, 2006;PAUL et al, , 2006;DA GAMA, 2008). Several of these herbivores such as fishes, sea urchins, crabs and gastropods affect seaweed communities and their dynamics profoundly (JOHN et al, 1992), because large quantities of seaweed biomass can be consumed, especially in tropical environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several of these herbivores such as fishes, sea urchins, crabs and gastropods affect seaweed communities and their dynamics profoundly (JOHN et al, 1992), because large quantities of seaweed biomass can be consumed, especially in tropical environments. To avoid, minimize, or tolerate the damage caused by herbivory, seaweeds exhibit several kinds of adaptation to reduce their attractiveness, and chemical defenses are one of the most conspicuous strategies manifested by tropical seaweeds (PAUL et al, 2001;DA GAMA, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical defenses of the tropical marine seaweed Canistrocarpus cervicornis against herbivory by sea urchin

2010

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A B S T R A C TThis paper reports on the defensive chemical properties of the marine tropical brown seaweed Canistrocarpus cervicornis against herbivory. A natural concentration of dichloromethane crude extract (DCE) obtained from this seaweed significantly inhibited feeding by the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. The major metabolite isolated from this active DCE extract was identified as the (4R,7R,14S)-4α,7α-diacetoxy-14-hydroxydolast-1(15),8-diene that strongly inhibited feeding by the same sea urchin. This result suggests that the dolastane diterpenes class may constitute the defensive system of C. cervicornis against herbivory, and probably also of that of other brown seaweeds endowed with a biosynthetic pathway capable of producing compounds of the dolastanetype, a typical skeleton found in Dyctioteae species worldwide. This is the first report showing this compound-type (dolastane diterpenes) as a chemical defense against herbivory in marine seaweeds. This study constitutes an additional report broadening the known spectrum of action and roles of secondary metabolites of the C. cervicornis and Dyctioteae species. R E S U M OEste artigo demonstra a química defensiva anti-herbivoria da macroalga parda marinha Canistrocarpus cervicornis. Em sua concentração natural, o extrato bruto em diclorometano (DCE) inibiu significativamente o consumo alimentar do ouriço-do-mar Lytechinus variegatus. Deste extrato em DCE foi isolado o metabólito majoritário identificado como o diterpeno (4R,7R,14S)-4α,7α-diacetoxi-14-hidroxidolasta-1(15),8-dieno. Esses resultados comprovam que diterpenos da classe dolastano podem compor o sistema defensivo anti-herbivoria de C. cervircornis e, supostamente, o de outras algas pardas capazes de produzi-los, uma vez que são composto típicos encontrados em esqueletos de Dyctiotas em todo o mundo. Este é o primeiro estudo demonstrando a ação antiherbivoria desta classe de metabolitos (diterpenos dolastanos) em macroalgas marinhas. Tais informações ampliam o conhecimento sobre o papel desses metabolitos especiais em C. cervicornis e de espécies de Dyctiotae.

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Chemical analysis and toxicity of seaweed extracts with inhibitory activity against tropical fruit anthracnose fungi

Machado

Matsumoto

Jamal

et al. 2013

J. Sci. Food Agric.

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Macroalgal Chemical Defenses and Their Roles in Structuring Tropical Marine Communities

Cited by 37 publications

References 127 publications

Chemical defense in the red seaweed Plocamium brasiliense: spatial variability and differential action on herbivores

Chemical defense in the red seaweed Plocamium brasiliense: spatial variability and differential action on herbivores

Chemical defenses of the tropical marine seaweed Canistrocarpus cervicornis against herbivory by sea urchin

Chemical analysis and toxicity of seaweed extracts with inhibitory activity against tropical fruit anthracnose fungi

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