Potential roles of Labyrinthula spp. in global seagrass population declines

Sullivan, Brooke K.; Sherman, Timothy D.; Damare, Varada S.; Lilje, Osu; Gleason, Frank H.

doi:10.1016/j.funeco.2013.06.004

Cited by 73 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Although the drivers have not always been clear for seagrass wasting disease epidemics, seagrasses are long known for their associations with an osmotrophic protist capable of producing this disease: Labyrinthula zosterae (or related Labyrinthula spp.) has been implicated in seagrass die-offs since the 1930s, including one large-scale event (temperate north Atlantic basin) and numerous smaller-scale events in both the northern and southern hemispheres (reviewed in Sullivan et al 2013).…”

Section: Communicated By Kenneth Duntonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional, Phylogenetic and Host-Geographic Signatures of Labyrinthula spp. Provide for Putative Species Delimitation and a Global-Scale View of Seagrass Wasting Disease

Martín

Chiari

Boone

et al. 2016

Estuaries and Coasts

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102

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Seagrass meadows form ecologically and economically valuable coastal habitat on every continental margin except the Antarctic, but their areal extent is declining by approximately 2-5 % per year. Seagrass wasting disease is a contributing factor in these declines, with the protist Labyrinthula identified as the etiologic agent. To help elucidate the role of Labyrinthula spp. in global seagrass declines, we surveyed roughly one fourth of all seagrass species to identify Labyrinthula diversity at the strain and/or species level, combining results from culturing methods and two common nuclear DNA markers: the ITS and 18S regions of the ribosomal RNA gene complex. After assaying a subset of the resulting isolates (of which 170 were newly sequenced), we produced a cladogenic context for putative seagrasspathogenic versus non-pathogenic Labyrinthula while also defining host and geographic ranges. Assays also suggest that pathogenicity is consistently high (when present; and, even when comparing susceptibility of US East-versus West Coast Zostera marina hosts) while virulence is variable, that some isolate-host combinations have the potential for host cross-infection, and that several modes of transmission can be effective. Taken together, these data provide additional means for delimiting putative species of Labyrinthula, suggesting at least five seagrass-pathogenic and perhaps ten or more non-pathogenic marine Bspecies^, yielding a working definition for ecologists and epidemiologists attempting to reconcile the sundry data related to seagrass wasting disease.

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Section: Communicated By Kenneth Duntonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional, Phylogenetic and Host-Geographic Signatures of Labyrinthula spp. Provide for Putative Species Delimitation and a Global-Scale View of Seagrass Wasting Disease

Martín

Chiari

Boone

et al. 2016

Estuaries and Coasts

Self Cite

102

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“…More recently, only a few outbreaks have been reported (Short et al 1987), even though L. zosterae and other pathogenic Labyrinthula spp. have been identified in seagrasses in many parts of the world (Sullivan et al 2013). Z. marina and L. zosterae presently co-exist and the pa-thogen does not appear to be virulent in northern European populations (Brakel et al 2014, S. JakobssonThor pers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the devastating effects L. zosterae can have on Z. marina populations (Sullivan et al 2013), few published studies have specifically aimed at investigating how L. zosterae prevalence and abundance varies in the field. So far, the degree of infection has been found to vary spatially within and between meadows, and temporally within and between years (Hily et al 2002, Bockelmann et al 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass wasting disease varies with salinity and depth in natural Zostera marina populations

Jakobsson-Thor¹,

Toth²,

Brakel³

et al. 2018

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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In the 1930s, the wasting disease pathogen Labyrinthula zosterae is believed to have killed 90% of the temperate seagrass Zostera marina in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the devastating impact of this disease, the host−pathogen interaction is still poorly understood, and few field studies have investigated factors correlating with the prevalence and abundance of L. zosterae. The present study measured wasting disease in natural populations of Z. marina on the Swedish west coast, and showed a strong correlation between the disease and both salinity and water depth. No infection was detected in Z. marina shoots from low-salinity (13−25 PSU) meadows, whereas most shoots carried the disease in high-salinity (25−29 PSU) meadows. Shallow (1 m) living Z. marina shoots were also more infected compared to shoots in deeper (5 m) meadows. In addition, infection and transplantation experiments showed that Z. marina shoots from low-salinity meadows with low pathogen pressure were more susceptible to L. zosterae infection. The higher susceptibility could not be explained by lower content of inhibitory defense compounds in the shoots. Instead, extracts from all Z. marina shoots significantly reduced pathogen growth, suggesting that Z. marina contains inhibitory compounds that function as a constitutive defense. Overall, the results show that seagrass wasting disease is common in natural Z. marina populations in the study area and that it increases with salinity and decreases with depth. Our findings also suggest that low-salinity areas can act as a refuge against seagrass wasting disease.

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“…Wasting disease is one of many causes of global seagrass declines and threatens the numerous ecosystem functions provided by seagrass (Orth et al 2006, Sullivan et al 2013. Caused by intracellular infection of the host mesophyll by opportunistic protists of the genus Labyrinthula, wasting disease affects several species of seagrass (Muehlstein et al 1988, 1991, Sullivan et al 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Caused by intracellular infection of the host mesophyll by opportunistic protists of the genus Labyrinthula, wasting disease affects several species of seagrass (Muehlstein et al 1988, 1991, Sullivan et al 2013. Disease outbreaks have the potential to cause rapid, dramatic population declines, which can compromise the ecosystem services provided by these plants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant characteristics associated with widespread variation in eelgrass wasting disease

Groner¹,

Burge²,

Kim³

et al. 2016

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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Seagrasses are ecosystem engineers of essential marine habitat. Their populations are rapidly declining worldwide. One potential cause of seagrass population declines is wasting disease, which is caused by opportunistic pathogens in the genus Labyrinthula. While infection with these pathogens is common in seagrasses, theory suggests that disease only occurs when environmental stressors cause immunosuppression of the host. Recent evidence suggests that host factors may also contribute to disease caused by opportunistic pathogens. In order to quantify patterns of disease, identify risk factors, and investigate responses to infection, we surveyed shoot density, shoot length, epiphyte load, production of plant defenses (phenols), and wasting disease prevalence in eelgrass Zostera marina across 11 sites in the central Salish Sea (Washington state, USA), a region where both wasting disease and eelgrass declines have been documented. Wasting disease was diagnosed by the presence of necrotic lesions, and Labyrinthula cells were identified with histology. Disease prevalence among sites varied from 6 to 79%. The probability of a shoot being diseased was higher in longer shoots, in patches of higher shoot density, and in shoots with higher levels of biofouling from epiphytes. Phenolic concentration was higher in diseased leaves. We hypothesize that this results from the induction of phenols during infection. Additional research is needed to evaluate whether phenols are an adaptive defense against Labyrinthula infection. The high site-level variation in disease prevalence emphasizes the potential for wasting disease to be causing some of the observed decline in eelgrass beds.

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Potential roles of Labyrinthula spp. in global seagrass population declines

Cited by 73 publications

References 85 publications

Functional, Phylogenetic and Host-Geographic Signatures of Labyrinthula spp. Provide for Putative Species Delimitation and a Global-Scale View of Seagrass Wasting Disease

Functional, Phylogenetic and Host-Geographic Signatures of Labyrinthula spp. Provide for Putative Species Delimitation and a Global-Scale View of Seagrass Wasting Disease

Seagrass wasting disease varies with salinity and depth in natural Zostera marina populations

Plant characteristics associated with widespread variation in eelgrass wasting disease

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