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Selectivity and detrimental effects of epiphytic Pseudanabaena on Microcystis colonies

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Abstract

The cyanobacterium Microcystis aggregates into colonies with a mucilaginous sheath that constitutes a special microhabitat for many microorganisms that associate to it. Here, we examine the notorious, yet scarcely studied case of epiphytic association by the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. to colonial Microcystis. Co-cultivation of Pseudanabaena with different Microcystis strains evidenced strong specificity in the interaction, with dramatically different outcomes in each case, including (1) inability of Pseudanabaena to access the slime of Microcystis, (2) neutral co-existence of epiphytic Pseudanabaena and Microcystis, and (3) rapid epiphytic proliferation of Pseudanabaena, followed by lysis and rapid decay of Microcystis cells. Whereas strain-specific oligopeptide production could not explain the observed specificity, differences in slime microstructures among Microcystis strains revealed by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy suggest that slime structural features might initially determine the ability of Pseudanabaena to colonize Microcystis, subsequently driving the outcome of the interaction. Furthermore, even under “neutral” co-existence, Pseudanabaena proliferation results in an increase in density that leads to colony settling, implying potential selective losses under natural conditions. Both the selective and antagonistic characters of the interaction indicate that epiphytic Pseudanabaena have the potential to contribute to the dynamics of strains in natural Microcystis communities.

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Acknowledgments

This article is dedicated to our colleague Fernando Pinto, who sadly passed away during the preparation of this manuscript and whose assistance operating the LT-SEM made this work possible. Prof. Assaf Sukenik is acknowledged for kindly providing bloom samples from Lake Kinneret. RA was supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation during the writing process of this manuscript. The authors also acknowledge the European Co-Operation in Science and Technology COST Action ES1105 ‘CYANOCOST’ for networking and knowledge-transfer support. LT-SEM analyses were supported by the grant CTM2012-3822-C02-02.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecosystem Research, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany

    Ramsy Agha

  2. Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C. Darwin 2, 28049, Cantoblanco, Spain

    María del Mar Labrador & Antonio Quesada

  3. National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Serrano 115, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Asunción de los Ríos

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  1. Ramsy Agha
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  2. María del Mar Labrador
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Correspondence to Antonio Quesada.

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Agha, R., del Mar Labrador, M., de los Ríos, A. et al. Selectivity and detrimental effects of epiphytic Pseudanabaena on Microcystis colonies. Hydrobiologia 777, 139–148 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2773-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2773-z

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