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Allelopathic interactions between microcystin-producing and non-microcystin-producing cyanobacteria and green microalgae: implications for microcystins production

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Abstract

Most mixed culture studies on the allelopathic interactions between toxic and nontoxic cyanobacteria with phytoplankton species rarely investigate the role of microcystins (MC) production and regulation in the course of the studies. This study investigated the interactions between intact cells of toxic (Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing) and nontoxic (Microcystis panniformis Komárek et al.) cyanobacteria with those of green algae (Monoraphidium convolutum (Corda) Komárková-Legnerová and Scenedesmus acuminatus (Largerheim) Chodat) as well as the effects of their respective crude extracts (5 and 10 μg.L−1) on their growth under controlled conditions. M. aeruginosa and M. panniformis were able to significantly (p < 0.05) inhibit the growth of the green algae with M. convolutum being the most affected. The green alga S. acuminatus in return was able to inhibit the growth of the both cyanobacteria. In response to the presence of a competing species in the growth medium, M. aeruginosa significantly increased its MC production per cell with the progression of the experiment, having the highest concentration at the end of the experiment. On the other hand, the extracts of the cyanobacteria had no significant inhibitory effect on the green algal strains investigated, while those of the green algae also had significant inhibitory effect on the growth of M. aeruginosa. In conclusion, both cyanobacterial and green algal strains investigated were negatively affected by the presence of competing species. M. aeruginosa responded to the presence of green algae by increasing its MC production. The green algal strains significantly inhibited the growth of M. aeruginosa.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP—2011/50840-0 and 2013/11306-3 to M.A. Chia) and Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq—301739/2011-0).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, São Dimas, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil

    Maria do Carmo Bittencourt-Oliveira, Mathias Ahii Chia, Helton Soriano Bezerra de Oliveira & Micheline Kézia Cordeiro Araújo

  2. Graduate Program in Botany, Rural and Federal University of Pernambuco, Rua D. Manoel de Medeiros, S/N, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 52171-030, Brazil

    Maria do Carmo Bittencourt-Oliveira, Helton Soriano Bezerra de Oliveira, Micheline Kézia Cordeiro Araújo & Renato José Reis Molica

  3. Department of Exact Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, São Dimas, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil

    Carlos Tadeu Santos Dias

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  1. Maria do Carmo Bittencourt-Oliveira
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  2. Mathias Ahii Chia
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Correspondence to Maria do Carmo Bittencourt-Oliveira.

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Bittencourt-Oliveira, M.C., Chia, M.A., de Oliveira, H.S.B. et al. Allelopathic interactions between microcystin-producing and non-microcystin-producing cyanobacteria and green microalgae: implications for microcystins production. J Appl Phycol 27, 275–284 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0326-2

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