Low densities of epiphytic bacteria from the marine alga Ulva australis inhibit settlement of fouling organisms

134Citations
Citations of this article
213Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Bacteria that produce inhibitory compounds on the surface of marine algae are thought to contribute to the defense of the host plant against colonization of fouling organisms. However, the number of bacterial cells necessary to defend against fouling on the plant surface is not known. Pseudoalteromonas tunicata and Phaeobacter sp. strain 2.10 (formerly Roseobacter gallaeciensis) are marine bacteria often found in association with the alga Ulva australis and produce a range of extracellular inhibitory compounds against common fouling organisms. P. tunicata and Phaeobacter sp. strain 2.10 biofilms with cell densities ranging from 102 to 108 cells cm-2 were established on polystyrene petri dishes. Attachment and settlement assays were performed with marine fungi (uncharacterized isolates from U. australis), marine bacteria (Pseudoalteromonas gracilis, Alteromonas sp., and Cellulophaga fucicola), invertebrate larvae (Bugula neritina), and algal spores (Polysiphonia sp.) and gametes (U. australis). Remarkably low cell densities (102 to 10 3 cells cm-2) of P. tunicata were effective in preventing settlement of algal spores and marine fungi in petri dishes. P. tunicata also prevented settlement of invertebrate larvae at densities of 104 to 105 cells cm-2. Similarly, low cell densities (10 3 to 104 cells cm-2) of Phaeobacter sp. strain 2.10 had antilarval and antibacterial activity. Previously, it has been shown that abundance of P. tunicata on marine eukaryotic hosts is low (<1 × 103 cells cm-2) (T. L. Skovhus et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70:2373-2382, 2004). Despite such low numbers of P. tunicata on U. australis in situ, our data suggest that P. tunicata and Phaeobacter sp. strain 2.10 are present in sufficient quantities on the plant to inhibit fouling organisms. This strongly supports the hypothesis that P. tunicata and Phaeobacter sp. strain 2.10 can play a role in defense against fouling on U. australis at cell densities that commonly occur in situ. Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

References Powered by Scopus

Detecting and characterizing N-acyl-homoserine lactone signal molecules by thin-layer chromatography

712Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Overview of the marine Roseobacter lineage

701Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Conjugation factor of Agrobacterium tumefaciens regulates Ti plasmid transfer by autoinduction

408Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in ocean systems

489Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The seaweed holobiont: Understanding seaweed-bacteria interactions

487Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The Jekyll-and-Hyde chemistry of phaeobacter gallaeciensis

378Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Rao, D., Webb, J. S., Holmström, C., Case, R., Low, A., Steinberg, P., & Kjelleberg, S. (2007). Low densities of epiphytic bacteria from the marine alga Ulva australis inhibit settlement of fouling organisms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 73(24), 7844–7852. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01543-07

Readers over time

‘09‘10‘11‘12‘13‘14‘15‘16‘17‘18‘19‘20‘21‘22‘23‘2407142128

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 80

54%

Researcher 41

28%

Professor / Associate Prof. 22

15%

Lecturer / Post doc 4

3%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 99

65%

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Bi... 23

15%

Environmental Science 21

14%

Chemistry 9

6%

Article Metrics

Tooltip
Social Media
Shares, Likes & Comments: 34

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0