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Fluctuations in the strength of chemical antifouling defenses in a red macroalga in response to variations in epibiont colonization pressure

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Abstract

Marine macroalgae in temperate regions are constantly exposed to colonization by fouling organisms, but the intensity of fouling fluctuates in time. We, therefore, hypothesized that a macroalgal species from these latitudes should be able to adjust its antifouling defense to the prevailing colonization pressure. To test this assumption, fouling pressure in the Western Baltic Sea as well as the activity of surface extracts gained from the non-native Gracilaria vermiculophylla against the diatom Stauroneis constricta and the filamentous alga Ceramium tenuicorne were assessed over one vegetation period on a monthly basis. We used two solvents with different polarities to extract chemical compounds from the alga. Both, hexane and dichloromethane (DCM) surface extracts, inhibited settlement of C. tenuicorne, while only hexane surface extracts deterred S. constricta. Furthermore, the activities of both extracts fluctuated on the scale of months and the fluctuations in the activity against C. tenuicorne, which were observed in DCM extracts, correlated with the intensity of fouling pressure that C. tenuicorne inflicted on G. vermiculophylla in the field. Thus, G. vermiculophylla appears to be able to adjust its antifouling defenses—at least partly—to fouling pressure.

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Acknowledgements

Shasha Wang was supported by a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) at GEOMAR-Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel. We greatly appreciate the support and technical advices for experimental design by Prof. Dr. Martin Wahl. We acknowledge Renate Schütt for her great help in epibiont classification.

Funding

This study was funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) (number 201206330050).

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  1. Department of Benthic Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    Shasha Wang, Florian Weinberger & Mark Lenz

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  1. Shasha Wang
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  2. Florian Weinberger
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  3. Mark Lenz
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Correspondence to Shasha Wang.

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Shasha Wang declares that she has no conflict of interest. Florian Weinberger declares that he has no conflict of interest. Mark Lenz declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

Data accessibility

All experimental data underlying this publication are available from the PANGAEA repository (doi: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.871582).

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Responsible Editor: M.Y. Roleda.

Reviewed by B. A. Perez Da Gama and G. Culioli

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Wang, S., Weinberger, F. & Lenz, M. Fluctuations in the strength of chemical antifouling defenses in a red macroalga in response to variations in epibiont colonization pressure. Mar Biol 165, 107 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3365-4

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