English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Microalgae are the foundation of aquatic food webs. Their ability to defend against grazers is paramount to their survival, and modulates their ecological functions. Here, we report a novel anti-grazer strategy in the common green alga  Chlorella vulgaris  against two grazers,  Daphnia magna  and  Simocephalus  sp. The algal cells entered the brood chamber of both grazers, presumably using the brood current generated by the grazer's abdominal appendages. Once inside, the alga densely colonized the eggs, significantly reducing reproductive success. The effect was apparent under continuous light or higher light intensity. The algal cells remained viable following removal from the brood chamber, continuing to grow when inoculated in fresh medium. No brood chamber colonization was found when the grazers were fed the reference diet  Raphidocelis subcapitata  under the same experimental conditions, despite the fact that both algal species were readily ingested by the grazers and were small enough to enter their brood chambers. These observations suggest that  C. vulgaris  can directly inflict harm on the grazers' reproductive structure. There is no known prior example of brood chamber colonization by a microalgal prey; our results point to a new type of grazer–algae interaction in the plankton that fundamentally differs from other antagonistic ecological interactions.

Turning defence into offence? Intrusion of cladoceran brood chambers by a green alga leads to reproductive failure