Journal article 883 views 196 downloads
Reversible colony formation and the associated costs in Scenedesmus obliquus
,
Carole Llewellyn,
Kam Tang
Journal of Plankton Research, Volume: 41, Issue: 4, Pages: 419 - 429
Swansea University Authors:
Dania Albini, Mike Fowler , Carole Llewellyn, Kam Tang
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DOI (Published version): 10.1093/plankt/fbz032
Abstract
Grazer-induced colony formation is a common inducible defense strategy in microalgae against grazers, but the associated costs and reversibility of the colonies are rarely examined. Through experiments we showed that Scenedesmus obliquus formed chained colonies in the presence of a predator, but rev...
| Published in: | Journal of Plankton Research |
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| ISSN: | 0142-7873 1464-3774 |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2019
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa51295 |
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| Abstract: |
Grazer-induced colony formation is a common inducible defense strategy in microalgae against grazers, but the associated costs and reversibility of the colonies are rarely examined. Through experiments we showed that Scenedesmus obliquus formed chained colonies in the presence of a predator, but reverted to single cells after the removal of the predator. The stress indicators astaxanthin esters were present in the algal populations exposed to grazers. There were significant costs associated with colony formation in terms of lower population growth rate, lower photosystem II efficiency and lower cellular chlorophyll a content. Under these substantial costs the defense must be switched off and the colonies revert to single cells when the predation risk disappears. |
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| Keywords: |
colony formation; inducible defense; Scenedesmus; Daphnia; reversibility; costs; quantum yield; chlorophyll a; growth rate |
| Issue: |
4 |
| Start Page: |
419 |
| End Page: |
429 |