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Journal ArticleDOI

Marine chemical ecology: chemical signals and cues structure marine populations, communities, and ecosystems.

25 Mar 2009-Annual Review of Marine Science (Annual Reviews)-Vol. 1, Iss: 1, pp 193-212
TL;DR: How chemical cues regulate critical aspects of the behavior of marine organisms from bacteria to phytoplankton to benthic invertebrates and water column fishes is reviewed.
Abstract: Chemical cues constitute much of the language of life in the sea. Our understanding of biotic interactions and their effects on marine ecosystems will advance more rapidly if this language is studied and understood. Here, I review how chemical cues regulate critical aspects of the behavior of marine organisms from bacteria to phytoplankton to benthic invertebrates and water column fishes. These chemically mediated interactions strongly affect population structure, community organization, and ecosystem function. Chemical cues determine foraging strategies, feeding choices, commensal associations, selection of mates and habitats, competitive interactions, and transfer of energy and nutrients within and among ecosystems. In numerous cases, the indirect effects of chemical signals on behavior have as much or more effect on community structure and function as the direct effects of consumers and pathogens. Chemical cues are critical for understanding marine systems, but their omnipresence and impact are inadequ...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The exact measurement of subtle pH changes in seawater over time presents significant analytical challenges, as the equilibrium constants are governed by water temperature and pressure, salinity effects, and the existence of other ionic species in the seawater as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Changing ocean-carbonate chemistry caused by oceanic uptake of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide leads to the formation of carbonic acid, thus lowering the pH of the sea with predictions of a decrease from current levels at 8.15 to 7.82 by the end of the century. The exact measurement of subtle pH changes in seawater over time presents significant analytical challenges, as the equilibrium constants are governed by water temperature and pressure, salinity effects, and the existence of other ionic species in seawater. Here, we review these challenges and how pH also affects dissolved inorganic and organic chemicals that affect biological systems. This includes toxic compounds (xenobiotics) as well as chemicals that are beneficial for marine organisms, such as the chemical signals (i.e. pheromones) that are utilized to coordinate animal behavior. We review how combining analytical, molecular and biochemical tools can lead to the development of biosensors to detect pH effects to enable predictive modeling of the ecological consequences of ocean acidification.

21 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper uses a 1D spatial reaction-diffusion model to simulate a tri-trophic planktonic system in the water column and argues that effectively employing infochemicals for foraging can be an evolutionarily stable strategy for copepods.
Abstract: The release of chemicals following herbivore grazing on primary producers may provide feeding cues to carnivorous predators, thereby promoting multitrophic interactions. In particular, chemicals released following grazing on phytoplankton by microzooplankton herbivores have been shown to elicit a behavioural foraging response in carnivorous copepods, which may use this chemical information as a mechanism to locate and remain within biologically productive patches of the ocean. In this paper, we use a 1D spatial reaction-diffusion model to simulate a tri-trophic planktonic system in the water column, where predation at the top trophic level (copepods) is affected by infochemicals released by the primary producers forming the bottom trophic level. The effect of the infochemical-mediated predation is investigated by comparing the case where copepods forage randomly to the case where copepods adjust their vertical position to follow the distribution of grazing-induced chemicals. Results indicate that utilization of infochemicals for foraging provides fitness benefits to copepods and stabilizes the system at high nutrient load, whilst also forming a possible mechanism for phytoplankton bloom formation. We also investigate how the copepod efficiency to respond to infochemicals affects the results, and show that small increases (2%) in the ability of copepods to sense infochemicals can promote their persistence in the system. Finally we argue that effectively employing infochemicals for foraging can be an evolutionarily stable strategy for copepods.

21 citations


Cites background from "Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..."

  • ...Regardless, infochemicals are ubiquitous in the marine environment and play important roles in the structure and functioning of marine food webs [18]....

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  • ...Introduction Information-conveying chemicals (infochemicals) play an important role in marine food-web interactions [18]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Next-generation questions emerging in the study of plants and pollinators are outlined, and the potential for strengthening collaboration between biologists and chemists in answering such questions is discussed.

21 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Fish diet arose as the main driver of the metabolic differences in the gill mucus in both fractions, accounting for 23% of the observed metabolic variability in the apolar fraction and 13% in the polar fraction.
Abstract: Fish mucus has important biological and ecological roles such as defense against fish pathogens and chemical mediation among several species. A non-targeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry metabolomic approach was developed to study gill mucus of eight butterflyfish species in Moorea (French Polynesia), and the influence of several fish traits (geographic site and reef habitat, species taxonomy, phylogeny, diet and parasitism levels) on the metabolic variability was investigated. A biphasic extraction yielding two fractions (polar and apolar) was used. Fish diet (obligate corallivorous, facultative corallivorous or omnivorous) arose as the main driver of the metabolic differences in the gill mucus in both fractions, accounting for 23% of the observed metabolic variability in the apolar fraction and 13% in the polar fraction. A partial least squares discriminant analysis allowed us to identify the metabolites (variable important in projection, VIP) driving the differences between fish with different diets (obligate corallivores, facultative corallivores and omnivorous). Using accurate mass data and fragmentation data, we identified some of these VIP as glycerophosphocholines, ceramides and fatty acids. Level of monogenean gill parasites was the second most important factor shaping the gill mucus metabolome, and it explained 10% of the metabolic variability in the polar fraction and 5% in the apolar fraction. A multiple regression tree revealed that the metabolic variability due to parasitism in the polar fraction was mainly due to differences between non-parasitized and parasitized fish. Phylogeny and butterflyfish species were factors contributing significantly to the metabolic variability of the apolar fraction (10 and 3%, respectively) but had a less pronounced effect in the polar fraction. Finally, geographic site and reef habitat of butterflyfish species did not influence the gill mucus metabolome of butterflyfishes.

21 citations


Cites background from "Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..."

  • ...Chemical cues determine species foraging behavior, competitive interactions, commensal associations, pathogenic invasions and selection of mates and habitats (Hay 2009)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The positive relationship between shrimp size and penshell size, a prevalence of male-female pairs of shrimp and other field observations, suggest that a long-term association exists between shrimp and Penshells, and that the mating system of the shrimp involves social monogamy.
Abstract: Examination of the mantle cavity of 310 penshells Pinna carnea, collected from seagrass beds in southwestern Dominican Republic, revealed the presence of four species from three phyla as potential symbionts. The shrimp Pontonia sp. was found in 178 penshells, the cardinalfish Astrapogon stellatus in 18, an anemone (order Actiniaria) in two, and a pea crab (family Pinnotheridae) in one. The penshell likely provides these organisms with a refuge from predators. It also provides nutrition for shrimp as they consumed food trapped in the mucus secreted by the penshell host. All of the cardinalfish, and 91% of the shrimp, were found in penshells measuring >150 mm in hinge length. At approximately 150 mm, the shells of P. carnea thicken and so flatten less when the valves are closed. As a result, larger penshells provide more mantle-cavity space for accommodating organisms. Shrimp and cardinalfish size increased with the size of the host penshell. The positive relationship between shrimp size and penshell size, a prevalence of male-female pairs of shrimp and other field observations, suggest that a long-term association exists between shrimp and penshells, and that the mating system of the shrimp involves social monogamy.

21 citations


Cites background from "Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..."

  • ...As olfactory cues draw males to females in many shrimp (Hay 2009; Breithaupt and Thiel 2010), a receptive female could entice a male from a nearby penshell....

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References
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Journal Article

839 citations


"Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…to chemical cues from specific hosts, or corals that settle in response to chemical traits of specific crustose coralline algae, or of soft-substrate animals that recruit to or avoid sands treated with specific chemical cues or extracts (e.g., Pawlik 1992, Krug & Manzi 1999, Hadfield & Paul 2001)....

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  • ...In aquatic systems, chemical cues determine feeding, habitat, and mating choices (e.g., Hay & Fenical 1988, 1996; Pawlik 1992; Breithaupt & Thiel 2008)....

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  • ...…stimulating feeding once prey have been contacted; compounds responsible for attraction from a distance have rarely been investigated for adult specialist consumers [compounds that cue larval settlement have been investigated; see Pawlik (1992), Krug & Manzi (1999), and Hadfield & Paul (2001)]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that the best way to protect salt marshes and the services they provide is through the integrated approach of ecosystem-based management.
Abstract: Salt marshes are among the most abundant, fertile, and accessible coastal habitats on earth, and they provide more ecosystem services to coastal populations than any other environment. Since the Middle Ages, humans have manipulated salt marshes at a grand scale, altering species composition, distribution, and ecosystem function. Here, we review historic and contemporary human activities in marsh ecosystems—exploitation of plant products; conversion to farmland, salt works, and urban land; introduction of non-native species; alteration of coastal hydrology; and metal and nutrient pollution. Unexpectedly, diverse types of impacts can have a similar consequence, turning salt marsh food webs upside down, dramatically increasing top down control. Of the various impacts, invasive species, runaway consumer effects, and sea level rise represent the greatest threats to salt marsh ecosystems. We conclude that the best way to protect salt marshes and the services they provide is through the integrated approach of ecosystem-based management.

770 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although numerous seaweed characteristics can deter some herbivores, the effects of morphology and chemistry have been studied most thoroughly and these types of seaweeds may be considered herbivore tolerant.
Abstract: Herbivory has a profound effect on seaweeds in both temperate and tropical communities (11, 17, 21, 33, 43, 47, 80, 124). This is especially true on coral reefs where 60-97% (11, 42) of the total seaweed production may be removed by herbivores. To persist in marine communities, seaweeds must escape, deter, or tolerate herbivory. The ecological and evolutionary importance of spatial and temporal escapes has been extensively studied for seaweeds and adequately reviewed in the recent literature (33, 45, 47, 71, 80). The ability of seaweeds to tolerate herbivory has received limited attention. On coral reefs, rapidly growing filamentous algae are heavily grazed, but the algae quickly replace these losses and appear to be dependent upon herbivores to prevent their habitat from being overgrown by larger but less herbivoretolerant species (11, 71). Additionally, several seaweeds have spores or vegetative portions that can withstand gut passage; in some cases this significantly increases the growth rates of the newly settled spores (6, 122). These types of seaweeds may be considered herbivore tolerant. Although numerous seaweed characteristics can deter some herbivores, the effects of morphology and chemistry have been studied most thoroughly. The

722 citations


"Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..." refers background in this paper

  • ...In aquatic systems, chemical cues determine feeding, habitat, and mating choices (e.g., Hay & Fenical 1988, 1996; Pawlik 1992; Breithaupt & Thiel 2008)....

    [...]

  • ...…on the plants they consume and that are especially susceptible to predation suggest that feeding preferences are commonly driven by the need to colonize hosts that provide escapes from consumers rather than by the direct food value of those hosts (see also Hay & Fenical 1988, 1996; Hay 1992, 1996)....

    [...]

  • ...In the past 20 years, the review of selected aspects of marine chemical ecology has become a growth industry (e.g., Hay & Fenical 1988, 1996; Paul 1992; Hay 1996; McClintock & Baker 2001; Paul et al. 2007; Pohnert et al. 2007; Amsler 2008), with numerous reviews focusing on specific groups…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The contention that furanones, at the concentrations produced by the alga, can control bacterial colonization of surfaces by specifically interfering with AHL-mediated gene expression at the level of the LuxR protein is supported.
Abstract: Summary: Acylated homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated gene expression controls phenotypes involved in colonization, often specifically of higher organisms, in both marine and terrestrial environments. The marine red alga Delisea pulchra produces halogenated furanones which resemble AHLs structurally and show inhibitory activity at ecologically realistic concentrations in AHL bioassays. Evidence is presented that halogenated furanones displace tritiated OHHL [N-3- (oxohexanoy1)-L-homoserine lactone] from Escherichia coli cells overproducing LuxR with potencies corresponding to their respective inhibitory activities in an AHL-regulated bioluminescence assay, indicating that this is the mechanism by which furanones inhibit AHL-dependent phenotypes. Alternative mechanisms for this phenomenon are also addressed. General metabolic disruption was assessed with two-dimensional PAGE, revealing limited non- AHL-related effects. A direct chemical interaction between the algal compounds and AHLs, as monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy, was shown not to occur in vitro. These results support the contention that furanones, at the concentrations produced by the alga, can control bacterial colonization of surfaces by specifically interfering with AHL-mediated gene expression at the level of the LuxR protein.

612 citations


"Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..." refers background in this paper

  • ...This inhibition occurs because halogenated furanones interfere with the bacteria’s signal-based regulatory systems that control surface motility, exoenzyme production, and biofilm formation/stability (Manefield et al. 1999, 2002; Rasmussen et al. 2000; McDougald et al. 2001)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review concludes that relatively unstudied, ontogenetic shifts in concentrations and types of defenses occur in marine species, and patterns of larval chemical defenses appear to provide insights into the evolution of complex life cycles and of differing modes of development among marine invertebrates.

607 citations


"Marine chemical ecology: chemical s..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…on the plants they consume and that are especially susceptible to predation suggest that feeding preferences are commonly driven by the need to colonize hosts that provide escapes from consumers rather than by the direct food value of those hosts (see also Hay & Fenical 1988, 1996; Hay 1992, 1996)....

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  • ...In other instances the larvae are chemically defended, but the adults are not and appear instead to rely more on physical/structural defenses (Lindquist & Hay 1996)....

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  • ...…past 20 years, the review of selected aspects of marine chemical ecology has become a growth industry (e.g., Hay & Fenical 1988, 1996; Paul 1992; Hay 1996; McClintock & Baker 2001; Paul et al. 2007; Pohnert et al. 2007; Amsler 2008), with numerous reviews focusing on specific groups (seaweeds…...

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  • ...Once larvae or embryos are released from brooding adults, they can be at considerable risk of predation in the plankton, but even more so as they recruit to the benthos where both fish and invertebrate predators are commonly concentrated (Lindquist & Hay 1996)....

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  • ...…of resistance to host chemical defenses, selective consumption of those hosts, being cued to feed by the specific host chemicals that deter other consumers, and sequestration by the specialist of its host’s chemical defenses, thus becoming immune to many of its own enemies (Hay 1992, 1996)....

    [...]