UV protective compounds transferred from a marine dinoflagellate to its copepod predator
(2010) In Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 389(1-2). p.38-44- Abstract
- Planktonic organisms living in surface waters can be exposed to harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), but few studies have examined accumulation of UV protective compounds in marine zooplankton. Zooplankters are suggested to lack the ability to synthesize these substances and hence must accumulate them from their algal food. Here, we show that both phytoplankton (dinoflagellates) and their zooplankton grazers (copepods) respond strongly to UVR exposure by, respectively, synthesizing and accumulating the natural sunscreens mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). In our experiment, the MAAs content increased approximately four times in dinoflagellates exposed to UVR and PAR, as compared to non-UVR controls only receiving PAR (PAR =... (More)
- Planktonic organisms living in surface waters can be exposed to harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), but few studies have examined accumulation of UV protective compounds in marine zooplankton. Zooplankters are suggested to lack the ability to synthesize these substances and hence must accumulate them from their algal food. Here, we show that both phytoplankton (dinoflagellates) and their zooplankton grazers (copepods) respond strongly to UVR exposure by, respectively, synthesizing and accumulating the natural sunscreens mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). In our experiment, the MAAs content increased approximately four times in dinoflagellates exposed to UVR and PAR, as compared to non-UVR controls only receiving PAR (PAR = photosynthetically active radiation). The elevated MAAs level in the dinoflagellates was mirrored in the copepods, which accumulated more MAAs when exposed to UVR as compared to a non-UVR treatment. Overall, copepods accumulated approximately 2-5% of the total MAAs pool. Other UV protective compounds, like carotenoids, were however not accumulated by the copepods. The ability of some species to produce or accumulate photoprotective compounds may lead to increased fitness, and thus these taxa may become more dominant in plankton communities. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1630068
- author
- Hylander, Samuel LU and Jephson, Therese LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Mycosporine-like amino acids, MAAs, Carotenoids, Dinoflagellate, Zooplankton, Ultraviolet radiation
- in
- Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
- volume
- 389
- issue
- 1-2
- pages
- 38 - 44
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000279100800005
- scopus:77953259284
- ISSN
- 0022-0981
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jembe.2010.03.020
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 01b046cc-d694-44a0-bdd3-e61f28a4f9f0 (old id 1630068)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:31:42
- date last changed
- 2022-04-22 03:41:04
@article{01b046cc-d694-44a0-bdd3-e61f28a4f9f0, abstract = {{Planktonic organisms living in surface waters can be exposed to harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), but few studies have examined accumulation of UV protective compounds in marine zooplankton. Zooplankters are suggested to lack the ability to synthesize these substances and hence must accumulate them from their algal food. Here, we show that both phytoplankton (dinoflagellates) and their zooplankton grazers (copepods) respond strongly to UVR exposure by, respectively, synthesizing and accumulating the natural sunscreens mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). In our experiment, the MAAs content increased approximately four times in dinoflagellates exposed to UVR and PAR, as compared to non-UVR controls only receiving PAR (PAR = photosynthetically active radiation). The elevated MAAs level in the dinoflagellates was mirrored in the copepods, which accumulated more MAAs when exposed to UVR as compared to a non-UVR treatment. Overall, copepods accumulated approximately 2-5% of the total MAAs pool. Other UV protective compounds, like carotenoids, were however not accumulated by the copepods. The ability of some species to produce or accumulate photoprotective compounds may lead to increased fitness, and thus these taxa may become more dominant in plankton communities. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}}, author = {{Hylander, Samuel and Jephson, Therese}}, issn = {{0022-0981}}, keywords = {{Mycosporine-like amino acids; MAAs; Carotenoids; Dinoflagellate; Zooplankton; Ultraviolet radiation}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{1-2}}, pages = {{38--44}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology}}, title = {{UV protective compounds transferred from a marine dinoflagellate to its copepod predator}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2010.03.020}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.jembe.2010.03.020}}, volume = {{389}}, year = {{2010}}, }