Abstract
The effects of the water-soluble fraction of dead leaves of the eelgrass Zostera marina L. on the growth of 8 species of micro-algae (pennate and centric diatoms, dinoflagellates, and a green flagellate) and a bacterium were studied on agar plates and in liquid culture. The extracts of leaves which had been dead from a few days to 2 wk inhibited growth and often killed cells in all test organisms. Extracts were lethal even at concentrations equivalent to as little as 0.25 mg dry leaf ml-1, but inhibition decreased when extracts were prepared from leaves aged in the laboratory for 35 d (loss of anti-bacterial activity) or 90 d (loss of anti-algal activity). Extracts of leaves which had aged and dried several months in the field had no effect, except at very high concentrations (13 mg dry leaf ml-1) when the lag phase of growth was prolonged several days in a culture of the chlorophyte Platymonas sp. The active fraction in eelgrass leaves may be important in controlling initial growth of micro-organisms on eelgrass detritus, and it could determine the composition and activity of the epiphytic community on living leaves.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Boutard, B., M.-L. Bouillant, J. Chopin et P. LeBreton: Chimiotaxinomie flavonique des Fluviales. Biochem. Syst. 1, 133–140 (1973)
Cariello, L. and L. Zanetti: Effect of Posidonia oceanica extracts on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Botanica mar. 22, 129–131 (1979)
Cariello, L., L. Zanetti and S. De Stefano: Posidonia ecosystem-V. Phenolic compounds from marine phanerogames, Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 62B, 159–161 (1979)
Chan, A. T.: Comparative physiological study of marine diatoms and dinoflagellates in relation to irradiance and cell size. I. Growth under continuous light. J. Phycol. 14, 396–402 (1978)
Chan, A. T., R. J. Andersen, M. J. Le Blanc and P. J. Harrison: Algal plating as a tool for investigating allelopathy among marine microalgae. Mar. Biol. 59, 7–13 (1980)
Fenchel, T. and P. Harrison: The significance of bacterial grazing and mineral cycling for the decomposition of particulate detritus. In: The role of terrestrial and aquatic organisms in decomposition processes, pp 285–299. Ed. by J. M. Anderson and A. MacFadyen. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications 1976
Guillard, R. R. L. and J. H. Ryther: Studies of marine planktonic diatoms. I. Cyclotella nana Hustedt and Detonula confervacea (Cleve) Gran. Can. J. Microbiol. 8, 229–239 (1962)
Harborne, J. B. and C. A. Williams: Occurrence of sulphated flavones and caffeic acid esters in members of the Fluviales. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 4, 37–41 (1976)
Harlin, M. M.: Seagrass epiphytes. In: Handbook of seagrass biology: an ecosystem perspective, pp 117–151. Ed. by R. C. Phillips and C. P. McRoy. New York: Garland STPM Press 1980
Harrison, P. G. and B. J. Harrison: Interactions of bacteria, microalgae, and copepods in a detritus microcosm: through a flask darkly. In: Marine benthic dynamics, pp 373–385. Ed. by K. R. Tenore and B. C. Coull. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press 1980
Harrison, P. G. and K. H. Mann: Detritus formation from eelgrass (Zostera marina L.): the relative effects of fragmentation, leaching, and decay. Limnol. Oceanogr. 20, 924–934 (1975)
Klug, M. J.: Detritus-decomposition relationships. In: Handbook of seagrass biology: an ecosystem perspective, pp 225–245. Ed. by R. C. Phillips and C. P. McRoy. New York: Garland STPM Press 1980
Mottley, J. and D. E. Griffiths: Minimum inhibitory concentrations of a broad range of inhibitors for the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardi Dangeard. J. gen. Microbiol. 102, 431–434 (1977)
Provasoli, L.: Media and prospects for the cultivation of marine algae. In: Cultures and collections of algae, pp. 63–75. Ed. by A. Watanabe and A. Hattori. Japan: Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists 1968. (Proc. U.S.-Japan Conf. Hakone, Jap., Sept., 1966)
Sand-Jensen, K.: Effect of epiphytes on eelgrass photosynthesis. Aquat. Bot. 3, 55–63 (1977)
Valiela, L., L. Koumjian, T. Swain, J. M. Teal and J. E. Hobbie: Cinnamic acid inhibition of detritus feeding. Nature, Lond. 280, 55–57 (1979)
Zapata, O. and C. McMillan: Phenolic acids in seagrasses. Aquat. Bot. 7, 307–317 (1979)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by N.D. Holland, La Jolla
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harrison, P.G., Chan, A.T. Inhibition of the growth of micro-algae and bacteria by extracts of eelgrass (Zostera marina) leaves. Mar. Biol. 61, 21–26 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00410338
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00410338