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

doi:10.1146/ANNUREV.MARINE.010908.163708

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

Journal Article•DOI•

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

Mark E. Hay¹•Institutions (1)

Georgia Institute of Technology¹

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.

read less

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...

...read moreread less

Content maybe subject to copyright Report

Citations

PDF

Open Access

More filters

Dissertation•DOI•

Stress responses of the marine diatom Skeletonema spp. to polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAS)

[...]

Alessandra Alexia Gallina

01 Jan 2012

TL;DR: A differential reaction of cells to PUAs, depending on the diatom species, the PUA type and concentration and the stress factor applied suggests a role of PUAs as signal molecules at the cellular and population levels, likely to underlie the ecological differences and evolutionary success of PUA and nonPUA producing species.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Diatom-derived polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) are secondary metabolites acting as teratogens against grazers, allelochemicals by inhibiting the growth of closeby phytoplankton species, and also as signal molecules to determine the cell fate of diatom populations. The work presented here focuses on Nitric Oxide (NO) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production in response to PUAs in Skeletonema marinoi, a cosmopolitan, bloom forming and PUA-producing diatom species. In the first part of the thesis I addressed the problem of whether PUA-producing species might have evolved different stress response mechanisms with respect to non-PUA producing ones and if this may r underlie their different ecological success. S. marinoi was exposed to different PUAs: DECA, which is not produced by S. marinoi, OCTA and HEPTA, which are PUAs commonly produced by this diatom and a mixture of these last two (MIX). A reduction in NO production was observed in response to all PUAs tested, probably due to consumption of physiological levels of NO, possibly indicating that this messanger acts as a growth regulator under optimal growth conditions. In the second part, a comparison with the non-PUA producing diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum revealed different reactions to the same PUAs (i.e. DECA), with an increase in NO production in DECA-exposed P. tricornutum, whereas in response to OCTA a reduction in NO production was evident. Thus, NO production in response to PUAs appears to be both PUA-specific and species-specific. Additionally, S. marinoi cells exposed to the photoinhibitor DCMU presented an increase in NO production, indicating that NO production in S. marinoi is likely to be also stress specific. In terms of ROS production, S. marinoi showed a sharp increase in ROS production upon exposure to all PUAs except for DECA that is not produced by this diatom. In addition, an enhanced synthesis of xanthophylls in OCT A-exposed S. marinoi cells was observed, likely to act as antioxidants against ROS production thereby assuring the maintenance of the photosynthetic performance at intermediate concentrations of PUAs. Additionally, in the congeneric species Skeletonema tropicum, PUAs induced an overexpression of a gene coding for a death specific protein (ScDSP), thought to be involved in an autocatalytic-type of cell death, also linked to a concentration-dependent increase in ROS production. This points to a key role of ROSs in mediating the response to PUAs leading to resistance or cell death, as for instance during the final stages of blooms. Altogether, the data show a differential reaction of cells to PUAs, depending on the diatom species, the PUA type and concentration and the stress factor applied. This suggests a role of PUAs as signal molecules at the cellular and population levels. This is likely to underlie the ecological differences and evolutionary success of PUA and nonPUA producing species.

...read moreread less

8 citations

Marine Chemical Ecology: A Science Born of Scuba

[...]

Joseph R. Pawlik, Charles D. Amsler, Raphael Ritson-Williams, James B. McClintock, Bill J. Baker, Valerie J. Paul - Show less +2 more

01 Jan 2013

TL;DR: For more than 50 years, organic chemists have been interested in the novel chemical structures and biological activities of marine natural products, which are organic compounds that can be used for chemical defense and chemical communication by diverse marine organisms as discussed by the authors.

...read moreread less

Abstract: For more than 50 years, organic chemists have been interested in the novel chemical structures and biological activities of marine natural products, which are organic compounds that can be used for chemical defense and chemical communication by diverse marine organisms. Chemi- cal ecology, the study of the natural ecological functions of these compounds, is an interdisciplinary field involving chemistry, biology, and ecology. Examples of ecological functions of marine natural products include distastefulness that inhibits feeding by predators, settlement cues for larvae, alle- lopathic effects that prevent fouling by epiphytes and overgrowth by competitors, and pheromones for mate- searching behavior. Much of the research in marine natural products and marine chemical ecology has used scuba diving and related undersea technologies as necessary tools. The breadth of marine organisms studied and the types of experiments conducted under water have expanded with technological developments, especially scuba diving. In this paper, we highlight the importance of scuba and related technologies as tools for advancing marine chemical ecology by using examples from some of our own research and other selected studies. We trace the origins of marine chemical ecology on the heels of marine natural products chemistry in the 1970s and 1980s, followed by the development of increasingly sophisticated ecological studies of marine algae and invertebrates in Caribbean, tropical Pacific, and Antarctic waters.

...read moreread less

8 citations

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

...The field has been comprehensively reviewed on a regular basis (Paul, 1992; McClintock and Baker, 2001; Paul and Puglisi, 2004; Paul et al., 2006, 2007, 2011b; Amsler, 2008; Paul and ritson- Williams, 2008; hay, 2009; Pawlik, 2011), and it is not our intention to duplicate these reviews....
[...]
...…papers were published over the ensuing two decades that further refined our understanding of the chemical ecology of macroalgae on Caribbean reefs (reviews in hay and Steinberg, 1992; hay, 1997, 2009; Duffy and hay, 2001; Paul et al., 2001, 2006, 2007, 2011a; Paul and Puglisi, 2004; Amsler, 2008)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Shared Insights across the Ecology of Coral Reefs and African Savannas: Are Parrotfish Wet Wildebeest?

[...]

Deron E. Burkepile¹, Melissa H. Schmitt¹, Keenan Stears¹, Mary K. Donovan¹, Dave I. Thompson² - Show less +1 more•Institutions (2)

University of California, Santa Barbara¹, University of the Witwatersrand²

01 Aug 2020-BioScience

TL;DR: The authors compare the ecology of superficially dissimilar African savannas and coral reefs via shared characteristics including: hyperdiverse guilds of large vertebrate herbivores and predators, similar mechanisms driving positive feedback loops between herbivory and primary production, and numerous smaller vertebrate and invertebrate species that underpin diversity and ecosystem processes.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Comparison across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems facilitates a broader understanding of ecological patterns. Although meta-analyses are important for quantitative synthesis across ecosystems, detailed comparisons of natural history and species interactions also illuminate convergence among systems. We compare the ecology of superficially dissimilar African savannas and coral reefs via shared characteristics including: (1) hyperdiverse guilds of large vertebrate herbivores and predators, (2) similar mechanisms driving positive feedback loops between herbivory and primary production, (3) similar roles of disturbance and herbivory in mediating ecosystem state, and (4) numerous smaller vertebrate and invertebrate species that underpin diversity and ecosystem processes. Our goal in comparing the natural history and ecology of these ecosystems is to facilitate others in finding their own comparative systems. We encourage scientists, especially early-career scientists, to explore ecosystems other than their primary focus. Whatever your ecosystem of study, examining the ecology of its analog in another environment may enliven your career.

...read moreread less

8 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Effects on larval metamorphosis in the mussel Mytilus coruscus of compounds that act on downstream effectors of G-protein-coupled receptors

[...]

Xiao Liang¹, Yu-Ru Chen¹, Wei Gao¹, Xing-Pan Guo¹, De-Wen Ding, Asami Yoshida², Kiyoshi Osatomi², Jin-Long Yang¹ - Show less +4 more•Institutions (2)

Shanghai Ocean University¹, Nagasaki University²

11 Oct 2016-Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

TL;DR: The present results indicate that G protein-coupled receptors and signal transduction by AC/cAMP pathway could mediate metamorphosis of larvae in this species.

...read moreread less

Abstract: The metamorphic responses of mussel (Mytilus coruscus) larvae to pharmacological agents affecting G proteins and the adenylate cyclase/cyclic AMP (AC/cAMP) pathway were examined in the laboratory. The G protein activators guanosine 5′-[β,γ-imido]triphosphate trisodium salt hydrate and guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate tetralithium salt only induced larval metamorphosis in continuous exposure assays, and the G protein inhibitor guanosine 5′-[β-thio]diphosphate trilithium salt did not exhibit inducing activity. The non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline and the cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase IV inhibitor 4-(3-Butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl)imidazolidin-2-one exhibited inducing activity, while the non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine only showed inducing activity at 10−4 M in continuous exposure assays. The cyclic nucleotide analogue N6,2′-O-Dibutyryladenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate sodium salt did not exhibit significant inducing activity. Both the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin and the adenylate cyclase inhibitor nitroimidazole exhibited inducing activity at 10−4 to 10−3 M concentrations in continuous exposure assays. Among these tested agents, the adenylate cyclase inhibitor (±)-miconazole nitrate salt showed the most promising inducing effect. The present results indicate that G protein-coupled receptors and signal transduction by AC/cAMP pathway could mediate metamorphosis of larvae in this species.

...read moreread less

8 citations

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

...Chemical cues from the natural environment can mediate the process of a pelagic-benthic transition (Pawlik, 1992; Hadfield & Paul, 2001; Hay, 2009; Paul et al., 2011)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Hormonally active phytochemicals from macroalgae: A largely untapped source of ligands to deorphanize nuclear receptors in emerging marine animal models.

[...]

Gabriel V. Markov¹, Jean Girard¹, Vincent Laudet¹, Catherine Leblanc¹•Institutions (1)

University of Paris¹

01 Sep 2018-General and Comparative Endocrinology

TL;DR: This work focuses on chemicals from red and brown macroalgae and points out their potential role as modulators of the endocrine system of aquatic animals through nuclear hormone receptors, and shows that, regarding steroids and oxylipins, there are already some candidates available for further functional investigations of ligand-receptor interactions.

...read moreread less

8 citations

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

...In parallel, marine chemical ecology has matured into a very ample research field, including algal-herbivore interactions, but with a strong focus on chemicals that either mediate repellent effects, or contribute to the recruitment of predators (Hay, 2009)....
[...]

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
…
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
…
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87

Collapse

References

PDF

Open Access

More filters

Journal Article•

Chemical ecology of the settlement of benthic marine invertebrates

[...]

Joseph R. Pawlik

01 Jan 1992-Oceanography and Marine Biology

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

Journal Article•DOI•

Centuries of Human-Driven Change in Salt Marsh Ecosystems

[...]

K. Bromberg Gedan¹, Brian R. Silliman¹, Mark D. Bertness²•Institutions (2)

Brown University¹, University of Florida²

25 Mar 2009-Annual Review of Marine Science

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.

...read moreread less

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.

...read moreread less

770 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Marine Plant-Herbivore Interactions: The Ecology of Chemical Defense

[...]

Mark E. Hay, William Fenical

01 Jan 1988-Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics

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.

...read moreread less

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

...read moreread less

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…...
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Evidence that halogenated furanones from Delisea pulchra inhibit acylated homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated gene expression by displacing the AHL signal from its receptor protein.

[...]

Mike Manefield¹, Rocky de Nys¹, Kumar Naresh¹, Read Roger¹, Michael Givskov², Steinberg Peter¹, Staffan Kjelleberg¹ - Show less +3 more•Institutions (2)

University of New South Wales¹, Technical University of Denmark²

01 Feb 1999-Microbiology

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.

...read moreread less

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.

...read moreread less

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)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Marine chemical ecology: what's known and what's next?

[...]

Mark E. Hay¹•Institutions (1)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill¹

15 Nov 1996-Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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.

...read moreread less

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)....
[...]
...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)....
[...]
...…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…...
[...]
...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)....
[...]
...…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)....
[...]