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Journal ArticleDOI

Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobacteria

28 Oct 2009-Critical Reviews in Microbiology (Crit Rev Microbiol)-Vol. 35, Iss: 4, pp 271-282
TL;DR: The role of allelopathy in cyanobacteria ecology is still not well understood, and its clarification should benefit from carefully designed field studies, chemical characterization of allelochemicals and new methodological approaches at the “omics” level.
Abstract: Freshwater cyanobacteria produce several bioactive secondary metabolites with diverse chemical structure, which may achieve high concentrations in the aquatic medium when cyanobacterial blooms occur. Some of the compounds released by cyanobacteria have allelopathic properties, influencing the biological processes of other phytoplankton or aquatic plants. These kinds of interactions are more easily detectable under laboratory studies; however their ecological relevance is often debated. Recent research has discovered new allelopathic properties in some cyanobacteria species, new allelochemicals and elucidated some of the allelopathic mechanisms. Ecosystem-level approaches have shed some light on the factors that influence allelopathic interactions, as well as how cyanobacteria may be able to modulate their surrounding environment by means of allelochemical release. Nevertheless, the role of allelopathy in cyanobacteria ecology is still not well understood, and its clarification should benefit from carefully designed field studies, chemical characterization of allelochemicals and new methodological approaches at the "omics" level.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that climate warming might not be as a result of higher growth rates of cyanobacteria compared with their chlorophyte competitors, and can more likely be attributed to their ability to migrate vertically and prevent sedimentation in warmer and more strongly stratified waters and to their resistance to grazing, especially when warming reduces zooplankton body size.
Abstract: 1. The hypothesis that cyanobacteria have higher optimum growth temperatures and higher growth rates at the optimum as compared to chlorophytes was tested by running a controlled experiment with eight cyanobacteria species and eight chlorophyte species at six different temperatures (20–35 C) and by performing a literature survey. 2. In the experiment, all organisms except the chlorophyte Monoraphidium minutum grew well up to 35 C. The chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was the fastest-growing organism over the entire temperature range (20–35 C). 3. Mean optimum growth temperatures were similar for cyanobacteria (29.2 C) and chlorophytes (29.2 C). These results are concordant with published data, yielding slightly higher mean optimum growth temperatures for cyanobacteria (27.2 C) than for chlorophytes (26.3 C). 4. Mean growth rates of cyanobacteria at 20 C (0.42 day)1) were significantly lower than those of chlorophytes at 20 C (0.62 day)1). However, at all other temperatures, there were no differences between mean growth rates of cyanobacteria and chlorophytes. 5. Mean growth rates at the optimum temperature were similar for cyanobacteria (0.92 day)1) and chlorophytes (0.96 day)1). However, analysis of published data revealed that growth rates of cyanobacteria (0.65 day)1) were significantly lower than those of chlorophytes (0.93 day)1) at their optimum temperatures. 6. Although climate warming will probably lead to an intensification of cyanobacterial blooms, our results indicate that this might not be as a result of higher growth rates of cyanobacteria compared with their chlorophyte competitors. The competitive advantage of cyanobacteria can more likely be attributed to their ability to migrate vertically and prevent sedimentation in warmer and more strongly stratified waters and to their resistance to grazing, especially when warming reduces zooplankton body size.

352 citations


Cites background from "Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..."

  • ...Second, cyanobacteria seem to be among the most potent producers of allelochemicals interfering with the growth of competitors (Gross, 2003; Leão et al., 2009)....

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  • ...Second, cyanobacteria seem to be among the most potent producers of allelochemicals interfering with the growth of competitors (Gross, 2003; Leão et al., 2009)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is a need for research to determine how changes in the partitioning of primary production between dissolved and particulate phases will have bottom-up effects on ecosystem structure and function and how these changes affect the fate of organic matter in the ocean.
Abstract: The partitioning of organic matter (OM) between dissolved and particulate phases is an important factor in determining the fate of organic carbon in the ocean. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) release by phytoplankton is a ubiquitous process, resulting in 2–50% of the carbon fixed by photosynthesis leaving the cell. This loss can be divided into two components: passive leakage by diffusion across the cell membrane and the active exudation of DOM into the surrounding environment. At present there is no method to distinguish whether DOM is released via leakage or exudation. Most explanations for exudation remain hypothetical; as while DOM release has been measured extensively, there has been relatively little work to determine why DOM is released. Further research is needed to determine the composition of the DOM released by phytoplankton and to link composition to phytoplankton physiological status and environmental conditions. For example, the causes and physiology of phytoplankton cell death are poorly und...

299 citations


Cites background from "Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..."

  • ...There is an extensive and rapidly growing literature on allelopathy associated with phytoplankton, which is beyond the scope of this review (see reviews by Gross, 2003; Legrand et al., 2003; Leão et al., 2009)....

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  • ...Being defined by function, allelochemicals have diverse chemical structures and molecular weights (Leão et al., 2009)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Overall, this review emphasizes the current understanding of MCs with their occurrence, geographical distribution, accumulation in the aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems, biosynthesis, climate-driven changes in their synthesis, stability and current aspects on its degradation, analysis, mode of action and their ecotoxicological effects.
Abstract: The monocyclic heptapeptides microcystins (MCs), are a group of hepatotoxins, produced worldwide by some bloom-forming cyanobacterial species/strains both in marine and freshwater ecosystems. MCs are synthesized non-ribosomally by large multi-enzyme complexes consisting of different modules including polyketide synthases and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases, as well as several tailoring enzymes. More than 85 different variants of MCs have been reported to exist in nature. These are chemically stable, but undergo bio-degradation in natural water reservoirs. Direct or indirect intake of MCs through the food web is assumed to be a highly exposed route in risk assessment of cyanotoxins. MCs are the most commonly found cyanobacterial toxins that cause a major challenge for the production of safe drinking water and pose a serious threat to global public health as well as fundamental ecological processes due to their potential carcinogenicity. Here, we emphasize recent updates on different modes of action of their possible carcinogenicity. Besides the harmful effects on human and animals, MC producing cyanobacteria can also present a harmful effect on growth and development of agriculturally important plants. Overall, this review emphasizes the current understanding of MCs with their occurrence, geographical distribution, accumulation in the aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems, biosynthesis, climate-driven changes in their synthesis, stability and current aspects on its degradation, analysis, mode of action and their ecotoxicological effects.

234 citations


Cites background from "Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..."

  • ...Moreover, a diverse range of toxins from cyanobacteria have allelopathic properties that may influence the biological processes of other microbes, phytoplanktons or aquatic plants (Rastogi and Sinha 2009; Leão et al. 2009a, b, 2010; Khalloufi et al. 2011; Rojo et al. 2013)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An up-to-date account of the distribution, phylogeography, ecophysiology, as well some preliminary reports of the impact of C. raciborskii in different organisms are presented.
Abstract: Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a cyanobacterial species extensively studied for its toxicity, bloom formation and invasiveness potential, which have consequences to public and environmental health. Its current geographical distribution, spanning different climates, suggests that C. raciborskii has acquired the status of a cosmopolitan species. From phylogeography studies, a tropical origin for this species seems convincing, with different conjectural routes of expansion toward temperate climates. This expansion may be a result of the species physiological plasticity, or of the existence of different ecotypes with distinct environmental requirements. In particular, C. raciborskii is known to tolerate wide temperature and light regimes and presents diverse nutritional strategies. This cyanobacterium is also thought to have benefited from climate change conditions, regarding its invasiveness into temperate climates. Other factors, recently put forward, such as allelopathy, may also be important to its expansion. The effect of C. raciborskii in the invaded communities is still mostly unknown but may strongly disturb species diversity at different trophic levels. In this review we present an up-to-date account of the distribution, phylogeography, ecophysiology, as well some preliminary reports of the impact of C. raciborskii in different organisms.

152 citations


Cites background from "Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..."

  • ...Leão et al. (2009b) tested the allelopathic potential of several C. raciborskii strains from Portuguese reservoirs....

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  • ...Allelopathy is thought to have a role in the phytoplankton structuring and succession in lakes (Fistarol et al., 2003), and is considered to be relevant in ecological interactions in aquatic habitats (Gross, 2003; Legrand et al., 2003; Leflaive and Ten-Hage, 2007; Leão et al., 2009a)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review covers the literature on the chemically mediated ecology of cyanobacteria, including ultraviolet radiation protection, feeding-deterrence, allelopathy, resource competition, and signalling.

136 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Phylogenetic analysis of the retrieved rRNA sequence of an uncultured microorganism reveals its closest culturable relatives and may, together with information on the physicochemical conditions of its natural habitat, facilitate more directed cultivation attempts.

9,017 citations


"Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…research concerning phytoplalnkton use culturable organisms, there is an urgent need for studies that also include nonculturable organisms in their natural environments, as culturable microbes represent a minor fraction of the total microbial biodiversity (Amann, Ludwig, and Schleifer 1995)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that inactivation of Upf1p and Xrn1p causes common as well as unique effects on protein expression, and the use of 4-fold multiplexing to enable relative protein measurements simultaneously with determination of absolute levels of a target protein using synthetic isobaric peptide standards.

4,411 citations


"Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...A recent technology, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTraq™, Applied Biosystems, U.S.A.) (Ross et al. 2004), an improvement to the gel-free protein quantification technology isotope-coded affinity tagging (ICAT®, Applied Biosystems, U.S.A.), which allows for gel-free multiplexed protein quantification, has been successfully used to quantify protein expression in cyanobacteria in different ecologically relevant conditions (Stensjo et al. 2007; Pandhal et al. 2007)....

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  • ...A recent technology, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTraq™, Applied Biosystems, U.S.A.) (Ross et al. 2004), an improvement to the gel-free protein quantification technology isotope-coded affinity tagging (ICAT®, Applied Biosystems, U.S.A.), which allows for gel-free…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A snapshot of the state-of-the-art in real-time RT-PCR is provided and some of the problems associated with interpreting results that are numerical and lend themselves to statistical analysis, yet whose accuracy is significantly affected by reagent and operator variability are described.
Abstract: The fluorescence-based real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) is widely used for the quantification of steady-state mRNA levels and is a critical tool for basic research, molecular medicine and biotechnology. Assays are easy to perform, capable of high throughput, and can combine high sensitivity with reliable specificity. The technology is evolving rapidly with the introduction of new enzymes, chemistries and instrumentation. However, while real-time RT-PCR addresses many of the difficulties inherent in conventional RT-PCR, it has become increasingly clear that it engenders new problems that require urgent attention. Therefore, in addition to providing a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in real-time RT-PCR, this review has an additional aim: it will describe and discuss critically some of the problems associated with interpreting results that are numerical and lend themselves to statistical analysis, yet whose accuracy is significantly affected by reagent and operator variability.

2,557 citations


"Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Nevertheless, several methodological issues can introduce error in the outcome of the assay—for discussion on this subject please refer to Bustin (2002) and Ginzinger (2002)—and a survey of the literature reveals that only a few studies which employ this methodology with cyanobacteria have been…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The recent flood of reports using real-time Q-PCR testifies to the transformation of this technology from an experimental tool into the scientific mainstream and this review will help guide the reader through the variables that can limit the usefulness of thistechnology.

1,178 citations


"Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…several methodological issues can introduce error in the outcome of the assay—for discussion on this subject please refer to Bustin (2002) and Ginzinger (2002)—and a survey of the literature reveals that only a few studies which employ this methodology with cyanobacteria have been published…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
26 Feb 1971-Science

1,162 citations


"Allelopathy in freshwater cyanobact..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...This term was first used by Whittaker and Feeny (1971) and has been often confounded with “phytotoxin.”...

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