Premium
Chemical Response of the Toxic Dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi Against Grazing by Three Species of Zooplankton
Author(s) -
Dang LinXi,
Li Yue,
Liu Fei,
Zhang Yong,
Yang WeiDong,
Li HongYe,
Liu JieSheng
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/jeu.12201
Subject(s) - biology , copepod , artemia salina , zooplankton , gymnodinium , grazing , dinoflagellate , ecology , botany , crustacean , toxicity , phytoplankton , chemistry , organic chemistry , nutrient
We investigated the toxicity of Karenia mikimotoi toward three model grazers, the cladoceran Moina mongolica , the copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei , and the crustacean Artemia salina , and explored its chemical response upon zooplankton grazing. An induction experiment, where K. mikimotoi was exposed to grazers or waterborne cues from the mixed cultures revealed that K. mikimotoi might be toxic or nutritionally inadequate toward the three grazers. In general, direct exposure to the three grazers induced the production of hemolytic toxins and the synthesis of eicosapentaenoic acid ( EPA ). Both EPA and the hemolytic toxins from K. mikimotoi decreased the survival rate of the three grazers. In addition, the survival rates of M. mongolica , P. annandalei , and A. salina in the presence of induced K. mikimotoi that had previously been exposed to a certain grazer were lower than their counterparts caused by fresh K. mikimotoi , suggesting that exposure to some grazers might increase the toxicity of K. mikimotoi . The chemical response and associated increased resistance to further grazing suggested that K. mikimotoi could produce deterrents to protect against grazing by zooplankton and that the substances responsible might be hemolytic toxins and EPA .