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Interspecific variation in extracellular polysaccharide content and colony formation of Microcystis spp. cultured under different light intensities and temperatures

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Abstract

Single cells of five different Microcystis species (M. ichthyoblabe, M. viridis, M. flos-aquae, M. wesenbergii, and M. aeruginosa) were batch-cultured at different temperatures and light intensities: (a) 25 °C and 50 μmol photons m−2 s−1 (control culture); (b) 25 °C and 10 μmol photons m−2 s−1; and (c) 15 °C and 50 μmol photons m−2 s−1. The extracellular polysaccharide content was significantly higher in treatments b and c than in the control treatment. All Microcystis species existed as single cells under the control treatment but formed colonies in treatments b and c. All of the colonies were irregular with indistinct margins. M. ichthyoblabe, M. viridis, M. flos-aquae, and M. wesenbergii formed colonies with similar morphologies and their cells were loosely aggregated. In contrast, M. aeruginosa formed denser colonies with no distinct holes. The colony morphologies differed from the classic morphology of M. ichthyoblabe field-grown colonies but resembled that of small colonies found in Lake Taihu (Yangtze Delta Plain, China) during early spring. This indicates that field- and laboratory-grown colonies are governed by similar formation processes. We suggest that in laboratory and field environments, M. ichthyoblabe (or M. flos-aquae) colonies are representative of small colonies formed from single Microcystis cells, whereas the morphology of older colonies evolves to resemble M. wesenbergii and M. aeruginosa colonies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 51409216), the Program on Furtherance of Scientific Research of Japan, Fundament C (15K00630) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant 2014M562459).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environment, Hohai University, No. 1 Xikang Road, Nanjing, 210098, People’s Republic of China

    Feng Xu & Wei Zhu

  2. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia

    Man Xiao

  3. College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Li

  4. Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Li

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  1. Feng Xu
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  2. Wei Zhu
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Correspondence to Ming Li.

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Xu, F., Zhu, W., Xiao, M. et al. Interspecific variation in extracellular polysaccharide content and colony formation of Microcystis spp. cultured under different light intensities and temperatures. J Appl Phycol 28, 1533–1541 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0707-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0707-1

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