Chemical ecology of the marine plankton

Sieg, R. Drew; Poulson‐Ellestad, Kelsey L.; Kubanek, Julia

doi:10.1039/c0np00051e

Cited by 44 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 97 publications

(155 reference statements)

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“…, the frustule ultrastructure, oxylipin profiles appear to better reflect these ecophysiological differences, which confirms their role as possible indicators of the functional diversity of diatom species. Of the several roles attributed to these active compounds, including chemical defense against grazing, intercellular communication, and allelochemical interactions [41,42], which are those played by single substances, under which conditions and with which effects on the species performances, should be the object of future investigations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxylipin Diversity in the Diatom Family Leptocylindraceae Reveals DHA Derivatives in Marine Diatoms

Nanjappa

d’Ippolito²,

Gallo³

et al. 2014

Marine Drugs

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Marine planktonic organisms, such as diatoms, are prospective sources of novel bioactive metabolites. Oxygenated derivatives of fatty acids, generally referred to as oxylipins, in diatoms comprise a highly diverse and complex family of secondary metabolites. These molecules have recently been implicated in several biological processes including intra- and inter-cellular signaling as well as in defense against biotic stressors and grazers. Here, we analyze the production and diversity of C20 and C22 non-volatile oxylipins in five species of the family Leptocylindraceae, which constitute a basal clade in the diatom phylogeny. We report the presence of species-specific lipoxygenase activity and oxylipin patterns, providing the first demonstration of enzymatic production of docosahexaenoic acid derivatives in marine diatoms. The differences observed in lipoxygenase pathways among the species investigated broadly reflected the relationships observed with phylogenetic markers, thus providing functional support to the taxonomic diversity of the individual species.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxylipin Diversity in the Diatom Family Leptocylindraceae Reveals DHA Derivatives in Marine Diatoms

Nanjappa

d’Ippolito²,

Gallo³

et al. 2014

Marine Drugs

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“…Thus, in the current experiment, reduced food level might have acted as an indicator of high competitor density, inducing the synthesis of larger amounts of bufadienolides against competitors or the pathogens and parasites they carry. Allelopathy, which is intra- or interspecific competition mediated by chemical substances [78], is a phenomenon of fundamental importance in algae and plants [79, 80], but for animals it has been rarely reported so far [81–83]. The existence of chemical interference between amphibian larvae was proposed long ago, but the mediating agents involved in the process have not been identified [69, 84].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age- and environment-dependent changes in chemical defences of larval and post-metamorphic toads

et al. 2017

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BackgroundChemical defences are widespread in animals, but how their production is adjusted to ecological conditions is poorly known. Optimal defence theory predicts that inducible defences are favoured over constitutive defences when toxin production is costly and the need for it varies across environments. However, if some environmental changes occur predictably (e.g. coupled to transitions during ontogeny), whereas others are unpredictable (e.g. predation, food availability), changes in defences may have constitutive as well as plastic elements. To investigate this phenomenon, we raised common toad (Bufo bufo) tadpoles with ad libitum or limited food and in the presence or absence of chemical cues on predation risk, and measured their toxin content on 5 occasions during early ontogeny.ResultsThe number of compounds showed limited variation with age in tadpoles and was unaffected by food limitation and predator cues. The total amount of bufadienolides first increased and later decreased during development, and it was elevated in young and mid-aged tadpoles with limited food availability compared to their ad libitum fed conspecifics, whereas it did not change in response to cues on predation risk. We provide the first evidence for the active synthesis of defensive toxin compounds this early during ontogeny in amphibians. Furthermore, the observation of increased quantities of bufadienolides in food-restricted tadpoles is the first experimental demonstration of resource-dependent induction of elevated de novo toxin production, suggesting a role for bufadienolides in allelopathy.ConclusionsOur study shows that the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in chemical defences may depend on the ecological context (i.e. predation vs. competition). Our results furthermore suggest that the age-dependent changes in the diversity of toxin compounds in developing toads may be fixed (i.e., constitutive), timed for the developmental stages in which they are most reliant on their chemical arsenal, whereas inducible plasticity may prevail in the amount of synthesized compounds.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0956-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…A number of recent reviews have been dedicated entirely or partially to cyanobacterial chemical ecology, usually focusing on a specific type of chemo-ecological interaction or on a particular habitat type. For example, recent reviews have appeared on the chemical ecology of marine plankton 1 and the benthos. 2 Singh et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The chemical ecology of cyanobacteria

et al. 2012

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This review covers the literature on the chemically mediated ecology of cyanobacteria, including ultraviolet radiation protection, feeding-deterrence, allelopathy, resource competition, and signalling. To highlight the chemical and biological diversity of this group of organisms, evolutionary and chemotaxonomical studies are presented. Several technologically relevant aspects of cyanobacterial chemical ecology are also discussed.

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Chemical ecology of the marine plankton

Cited by 44 publications

References 97 publications

Oxylipin Diversity in the Diatom Family Leptocylindraceae Reveals DHA Derivatives in Marine Diatoms

Oxylipin Diversity in the Diatom Family Leptocylindraceae Reveals DHA Derivatives in Marine Diatoms

Age- and environment-dependent changes in chemical defences of larval and post-metamorphic toads

The chemical ecology of cyanobacteria

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