Control of microbial growth and of amphipod grazing by water-soluble compounds from leaves of Zostera marina

Harrison, Paul G.

doi:10.1007/bf00401288

Cited by 137 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Including the results from our study, 3 out of the 4 marine vascular plants tested to date are chemically defended against sympatric herbivores. Enhalus acoroides and Zostera marina chemically deter herbivores (Harrison 1982, Meyer et al 1994, Paul et al 1990, as does Posidonia oceanica, whereas Halophila minor shows no deterrence (Paul et al 1990). The chemically defended P. oceanica, E. acoroides and Z. marina are all dominant species with relatively slow growth rates (Hemminga & Duarte 2000), whereas the palatable H. ovalis is an ephemeral pioneer species with a fast growth rate (Vermaat et al 1995), which may rely on spatial and temporal escape to avoid being eaten.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, there is experimental evidence of the existence of chemical defences in some seagrasses. Crude extracts from the tropical seagrass Enhalus acoroides have been found to deter feeding by several species of fish (Paul et al 1990, Meyer et al 1994, and extracts from young Zostera marina leaves have been found to inhibit amphipod grazing (Harrison 1982). These results (1 type of consumer and 1 seagrass species in each case) suggest the defensive value of the plant chemical composition, but cannot be generalised, as the defensive value of the chemical composition of a given plant species is a specific function of both the secondary metabolites present and the herbivore species attacking the plant, and compounds that deter feeding in 1 consumer may have no effect on another.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Vergés

Becerro²,

Alcoverro³

et al. 2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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There is increasing evidence of the importance of herbivory in seagrass communities, but the factors that regulate seagrass-herbivore interactions remain largely unknown. Many terrestrial plants and marine algae chemically deter herbivores using secondary metabolites, yet their incidence and role on seagrasses have received little attention. Posidonia oceanica, the dominant seagrass in the Mediterranean Sea, suffers a high level of herbivory and produces phenolics, a type of compounds known to deter feeding in algae and terrestrial plants. We have experimentally quantified the chemical deterrence of P. oceanica against 3 types of sympatric consumers by comparing feeding on palatable agar-based foods containing aqueous and organic extracts of P. oceanica at natural concentrations with that on appropriate controls. The effect of plant chemistry was measured on the feeding of the sea urchins Spharechinus granularis, Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula, the mesograzer gastropod Cerithium vulgatum, and the general fish assemblage inhabiting P. oceanica meadows. Since these 5 experiments were run independently, we used meta-analysis to test the overall hypothesis that P. oceanica is chemically defended against multiple consumers and to compare the magnitude of their inhibition. Our results clearly showed that the seagrass extracts significantly deterred feeding, although inhibition varied between consumers. S. granularis was the most deterred organism, while the mesograzer C. vulgatum was the only species unaffected by P. oceanica extracts. These results represent the first experimental evidence for seagrass chemical deterrence against a range of consumers, and emphasise the potential importance of chemically mediated interactions between seagrass and herbivores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Vergés

Becerro²,

Alcoverro³

et al. 2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…For example, the accumulation of phenolic substances in Zostera marina has been correlated with reduced microbial growth and herbivory (Harrison 1982), and with resistance to the wasting disease in mesocosm experiments (Buchsbaum et al 1990) and in the field (Vergeer & Den Hartog 1991, Vergeer & Develi 1997. Seagrasses are a rich source of (poly)phenolics, including simple and sulfated phenolic acids and condensed (but not hydrolysable) tannins, many of which have demonstrated antimicrobial properties in other plant -pathogen interactions (Arnold & Targett 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrasspathogen interactions: pseudo-induction of turtlegrass phenolics near wasting disease lesions

Steele¹,

Caldwell²,

Boettcher³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Marine protists of the genus Labyrinthula cause the seagrass wasting disease, which is associated with regional die-offs of eelgrass Zostera marina and also infects turtlegrass Thalassia testudinum. The ability of seagrasses to resist pathogen attack is determined by multiple factors, which are poorly understood. One factor hypothesized to influence seagrass disease resistance is the presence of (poly)phenolic natural products such as caffeic acid, which inhibits the growth of L. zosterae in in vitro laboratory bioassays. This hypothesis has been supported by reports of pathogen-induced phenolic accumulations in eelgrass Z. marina. To test the response of T. testudinum to inoculation with Labyrinthula sp., we conducted a series of culture experiments wherein plants were inoculated with Labyrinthula sp. isolated from turtlegrass beds in Perdido Bay, Florida (USA). Concentrations of phenolic acids and condensed tannins were quantified in diseased leaves as well as those treated with 5 mM salicylic acid, a signaling molecule associated with pathogen-induced responses in plants.In infection experiments, increases in the concentrations of several phenolic acids, but not condensed tannins, were observed in tissues above, but not below, microbial lesions. Salicylic acid (SA) treatments did not induce any phenolic compound, either when applied alone or in concert with the pathogen. The induction of phenolic acids above, but not below, infection sites suggests that T. testudinum leaves did not respond to the pathogen specifically. Instead, the pattern is consistent with the predictions of the sink/source model of plant defense, which predicts increased phenolic contents in cases where wounds disrupt plant resource allocation and cause a local overabundance of carbonbased resources. Thus, we suggest that the emergence of Labyrinthula sp. lesions on turtlegrass blades causes a 'pseudo-induction' of specific phenolics as carbon resources over-accumulate in tissues located above wound sites.

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“…Since halophytes growing in stressful environments make phenolic compounds to suppress the growth of yeast and mold (Bandaranayake, 2002), Z. marina L. might produce many secondary metabolites for protecting itself against microorganisms, epiphytes and predation (Harrison and Chan, 1980;Buchsbaum et al, 1990;Vergeer and Develi, 1997). Previous studies indicated that water-soluble extracts of eelgrass leaves could inhibit the growth of micro-algae and bacteria, and grazing by amphipods on dead leaves (Harrison, 1982;Lu and Foo, 1999). These observations indicate that eelgrass is a good resource for screening natural antibiotics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is a flowering angiosperm belonging to Potamogetonaceae, which is an important species in coastal ecosystems because it contributes to nutrient cycling and sediment stabilizer, and provides food stuffs and habitat for many marine organisms such as invertebrates and fishes (Harrison, 1982;Moore and Short, 2006). Since halophytes growing in stressful environments make phenolic compounds to suppress the growth of yeast and mold (Bandaranayake, 2002), Z. marina L. might produce many secondary metabolites for protecting itself against microorganisms, epiphytes and predation (Harrison and Chan, 1980;Buchsbaum et al, 1990;Vergeer and Develi, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activity of extracts of eelgrass Zostera marina Linnaeus

Zheng¹,

Guo²,

Li³

2014

Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.

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Zostera marina L. is one of marine flowering plants, which plays an important role in coastal ecosystems by generating oxygen and organic substance and providing a habitat for other organisms. However, its residues on seashore have caused serious environmental problems in some coasts worldwide. In this paper, crude extract of Z. marina L. was prepared using methanol-water (1:1, v/v) and further separated into petroleum ether fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, n-butanol fraction and water fraction. The antibacterial activity and antioxidant activity of different fractions from Z. marina L. were evaluated in order to provide information for utilizing the marine plant. Antibacterial bioassay showed that n-butanol fraction was effective only for Staphylocccus aureus, petroleum ether fraction was effective for S. aureus and Bacillus anthracis, ethyl acetate fraction was effective for S. aureus, B. anthracis, Diphtheroid bacilli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, while water fraction had no effect on all the tested strains. Antioxidant assay indicated that all of the four fractions showed α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and Fe 3+ reducing activity, and ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the maximum activity.

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Control of microbial growth and of amphipod grazing by water-soluble compounds from leaves of Zostera marina

Cited by 137 publications

References 17 publications

Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Seagrasspathogen interactions: pseudo-induction of turtlegrass phenolics near wasting disease lesions

Evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activity of extracts of eelgrass Zostera marina Linnaeus

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Control of microbial growth and of amphipod grazing by water-soluble compounds from leaves of Zostera marina

Cited by 137 publications

References 17 publications

Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Experimental evidence of chemical deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Seagrasspathogen interactions: pseudo-induction of turtlegrass phenolics near wasting disease lesions

Evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activity of extracts of eelgrass Zostera marina Linnaeus

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Seagrasspathogen interactions: pseudo-induction of turtlegrass phenolics near wasting disease lesions