Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships Between Prostanoid-Containing Okinawan Soft Coral (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clavularia viridis</Emphasis>) and Nonprostanoid-Containing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clavularia</Emphasis> Species Based on Ribosomal ITS Sequence

To study phylogenetic relationships among Okinawan soft corals of the genus Clavularia, the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequences of host corals and the 18S rDNA sequences of symbiotic algae were analyzed. The molecular phylogenetic trees of hosts showed that a prostanoid-containing species, Clavularia viridis, is deeply diverged from other species of Clavularia which do not biosynthesize the prostanoids as the main secondary metabolites. Comparison of their trees suggested poor phylogenetic concordance between hosts and symbionts.     

Green algae as a structural element of phytoperiphyton communities in streams of NW Russia

Observations were made on the development and distribution of phytoperiphyton communities in 66 lake-river systems in NW Russia from Lake Ladoga to the Barents Sea. In total, 130 genera and 648 species were identified from different substrates, belonging to Cyanophyta (19.1%), Bacillariophyta (59.6%), Chlorophyta (18.7%), and algae from other orders (2.6%). In all streams diatoms dominated by species richness, but they were surpassed by green algae in terms of biomass. The green algae ranged from small planktonic forms to large filamentous species and produced easily visible algal communities. Among the planktonic forms the desmids were the most diverse group. They occurred in attached communities of all rivers and, while never abundant, were widespread. The attached community’s biomass was dominated by green algae. Among these, the filamentous algae Mougeotia sp., Oedogonium sp., Zygnema sp., Spirogyra sp. and Ulothrix zonata exhibited mass development in streams. Their distribution was patchy in the basin, with a total cover varying from less than 1% to 90% of the stream bottom. In some river stretches the diversity and predominance of green algae could be due, in part, to poorly developed riparian canopies. The term periphyton adopted here follows the definition of Odum (1971): “Assemblages which include both plant and animal organisms growing attached to submerged objects”. The prefix phyto- is added to indicate that of the whole biocoenoses only phototrophs are considered in this study. Presented at the International Symposium Biology and Taxonomy of Green Algae V, Smolenice, June 26–29, 2007, Slovakia.     

Sequence analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction of the genes encoding the large and small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from the chlorophyllb-containing prokaryoteProchlorothrix hollandica

Summary Prochlorophytes similar toProchloron sp. andProchlorothrix hollandica have been suggested as possible progenitors of the plastids of green algae and land plants because they are prokaryotic organisms that possess chlorophyllb (chlb). We have sequenced theProchlorothrix genes encoding the large and small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco),rbcL andrbcS, for comparison with those of other taxa to assess the phylogenetic relationship of this species. Length differences in the large subunit polypeptide among all sequences compared occur primarily at the amino terminus, where numerous short gaps are present, and at the carboxy terminus, where sequences ofAlcaligenes eutrophus and non-chlorophyllb algae are several amino acids longer. Some domains in the small subunit polypeptide are conserved among all sequences analyzed, yet in other domains the sequences of different phylogenetic groups exhibit specific structural characteristics. Phylogenetic analyses ofrbcL andrbcS using Wagner parsimony analysis of deduced amino acid sequences indicate thatProchlorothrix is more closely related to cyanobacteria than to the green plastid lineage. The molecular phylogenies suggest that plastids originated by at least three separate primary endosymbiotic events, i.e., once each leading to green algae and land plants, to red algae, and toCyanophora paradoxa. TheProchlorothrix rubisco genes show a strong GC bias, with 68% of the third codon positions being G or C. Factors that may affect the GC content of different genomes are discussed.     

Periphyton in the Volta Lake. I. Seasonal changes on the trunks of flooded trees

Seasonal changes in the periphyton on the trunks of flooded trees in the Pawmpawm arm of the Volta Lake are reported. Of the three algal groups forming the periphyton, the quantitatively most important species are in such genera as Navicula, Synedra and Melosira (diatoms), Spirogyra, Oedogonium and Stigeoclonium (green algae), and Oscillatoria and Anabaena (blue-green algae). The fluctuations in species diversity and cell numbers are attributed to changes in the nutrient status of the lake water and lake level.     

Architecture and development of periphyton on reed-stems in Lake Maarsseveen

Summary This study forms part of investigations on the importance of periphyton in the lake ecosystem. The substratum consists of submerged parts ofPhragmites australis in their growing season as well as older ones. Significant differences in occurrence of several species of algae were found between lakeside and bankside of the stems, peripheral stems and central stems in the reed stand, stems of the current year and stems of the previous year, as well as between upper, middle and lower parts of the submerged stems.There are differences inAchnanthes/Gomphonema ratio at various localities. This is most evident in early winter, being obscured in spring and summer by an overall rise in number ofAchnanthes.In the month of May the young sprouts are rapidly colonised by green algae and diatoms. The green algae offer an additional substratum, and therefore enlarge the available substratum for diatom growth. It appears that the green algae are better colonisers than the diatoms. During the summer the green algaeOedogonium andBulbochaete become covered by a layer of lime, which becomes densely packed with diatoms. A significant rise in the number of diatoms is also due to the additional substratum offered by stalks and tubes ofCymbella species. In December the lime disappears as do nearly all green algae.Cymbella lanceolata andC. prostrata then begin an explosive bloom, which continues to the end of the winter. The total number of diatoms can rise to nearly 2,000,000/cm², the half of which is situated on stalks and tubes ofCymbella. When in April mostCymbella disappears, the total number of diatoms decreases also abruptly. The stem, now nearly one year old, is then barely grown over with periphyton. Soon the development of the periphyton on this stem corresponds to the settlement of epiphytes on the new sprouts.The presence of the periphyton itself offers a considerable temporal additional substratum. Great numbers of diatoms may occur onCymbella stalks. Multitudes of diatoms may be present onBulbochaete andOedogonium. The winter situation reveals a storied growth, depending on the stalk length of the various diatoms. There also is a zonation in diatom growth on large stalks,Achnanthes growing near the reed surface, andSynedra preferring the free space. In between the sessile algae the chains and guirlandes of the araphid genera are woven.In this way the periphyton forms a firm unity, not only functional, but structural as well. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A0692010 00005     

Probing the Monophyly of the Sphaeropleales (Chlorophyceae) Using Data From Five Genes

Molecular phylogenetic analyses have had a major impact on the classification of the green algal class Chlorophyceae, corroborating some previous evolutionary hypotheses, but primarily promoting new interpretations of morphological evolution. One set of morphological traits that feature prominently in green algal systematics is the absolute orientation of the flagellar apparatus in motile cells, which correlates strongly with taxonomic classes and orders. The order Sphaeropleales includes diverse green algae sharing the directly opposite (DO) flagellar apparatus orientation of their biflagellate motile cells. However, algae across sphaeroplealean families differ in specific components of the DO flagellar apparatus, and molecular phylogenetic studies often have failed to provide strong support for the monophyly of the order. To test the monophyly of Sphaeropleales and of taxa with the DO flagellar apparatus, we conducted a molecular phylogenetic study of 16 accessions representing all known families and diverse affiliated lineages within the order, with data from four plastid genes (psaA, psaB, psbC, rbcL) and one nuclear ribosomal gene (18S). Although single‐gene analyses varied in topology and support values, analysis of combined data strongly supported a monophyletic Sphaeropleales. Our results also corroborated previous phylogenetic hypotheses that were based on chloroplast genome data from relatively few taxa. Specifically, our data resolved Volvocales, algae possessing predominantly biflagellate motile cells with clockwise (CW) flagellar orientation, as the monophyletic sister lineage to Sphaeropleales, and an alliance of Chaetopeltidales, Chaetophorales, and Oedogoniales, orders having multiflagellate motile cells with distinct flagellar orientations involving the DO and CW forms.     

Reassessment of suitable markers for taxonomy of Chaetophorales (Chlorophyceae,Chlorophyta) based on chloroplast genomes

Filamentous green algae Chaetophorales present numerous taxonomic problems as many other green algae. Phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear genes have limited solutions. Studies with appropriate chloroplast molecular markers may solve this problems; however, suitable molecular markers for the order Chaetophorales are still unknown. In this study, 50 chloroplast genomes of Chlorophyceae, including 15 of Chaetophorales, were subjected to single protein-coding gene phylogenetic analyses, and substitution rate and evolutionary rate assays, and PCR amplification verification was conducted to screen the suitable molecular markers. Phylogenetic analyses of three chloroplast representative genes (psaB, tufA, and rbcL) amplified from 124 strains of Chaetophorales showed that phylogenetic relationships were not improved by increasing the number of samples, implying that the genes themselves, rather than limited samples, were the reason for the unsupported Topology I. Seven genes (atpF, atpI, ccsA, cemA, chlB, psbB, and rpl2) with robust support were selected to be the most suitable molecular markers for phylogenetic analyses of Chaetophorales, and the concatenated seven genes could replace the time-consuming and labor-intensive phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast genome to some extent. To further solve the taxonomic problems of Chaetophorales, suitable chloroplast markers combined with more taxon-rich approach could be helpful and efficient.     

Phylogeny of Oedogoniales (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta) inferred from 18S rDNA sequences with emphasis on the relationships in the genus Oedogonium based on ITS-2 sequences

The phylogeny of Oedogoniales was investigated by using nuclear 18S rDNA sequences. Results showed that the genus Oedocladium, as a separated clade, was clustered within the clade of Oedogonium; whereas the genus Bulbochaete was in a comparatively divergent position to the other two genera. The relationship among the species of Oedogonium was discussed, focusing on ITS-2 phylogeny analyzed combining with some morphological characteristics. Our results showed that all the dioecious nannandrous taxa involved in this study were resolved into one clade, while all the monocious taxa were clustered into another clade as a sister group to the former. The report also suggests that the dioecious macrandrous taxa form a paraphyly and could be more basally situated than the dioecious nannandrous and the monoecious taxa by means of molecular phylogeny and morphotype investigations.     

Phylogenetic position of someChlorella species within the chlorococcales based upon complete small-subunit ribosomal RNA sequences

Summary Complete small-subunit rRNA (16S-like rRNA) coding region sequences were determined for eight species of the Chlorococcales (Chlorophyceae). The genera investigated includePrototheca, Ankistrodesmus, Scenedesmus, and fiveChlorella species. Distance matrix methods were used to infer a phylogenetic tree that describes evolutionary relationships between several plant and green algal groups. The tree exhibits a bifurcation within the Chlorococcales consistent with the division into Oocystaceae and Scenedesmaceae, but three of the fiveChlorella species are more similar to other algae than toChlorella vulgaris. All of the sequences contain primary and secondary structural features that are characteristic of 16S-like rRNAs of chlorophytes and higher plants.Anikstrodesmus stipitatus, however, contains a 394-bp group I intervening sequence in its 16S-like rRNA coding region.     

Development of filamentous green algae in the benthic algal community in a littoral sand-beach zone of Lake Biwa

Temporal changes of biomass and dominant species in benthic algal communities were investigated in a littoral sand-beach zone in the north basin of Lake Biwa from December 1999 to September 2000. Chlorophyll-a amounts of benthic algal communities per unit area of the sandy sediments rapidly increased from late April to June. Increases in biomass of the benthic algal communities are considered to result from the propagation of filamentous green algae Oedogonium sp. and Spirogyra sp. The cell numbers of filamentous green algae and chlorophyll-a amounts of benthic algal communities at depths of 30 and 50cm at a station protected by a breakwater in May were significantly higher than those of a station exposed directly to wave activity. Thus, the biomass accumulation of the benthic algal communities seems to be regulated strongly by wave disturbance. The development of filamentous green algae may contribute to the increase in biomass of the benthic algal community and to the changes in seasonal patterns of biomass in the sand-beach zone of Lake Biwa. We consider that the development of the filamentous green algal community in the littoral zone of Lake Biwa is the result of eutrophication.     

The independent and interactive effects of snail grazing and nutrient enrichment on structuring periphyton communities

We investigated the independent and interactive effects of nutrient enrichment and snail grazing on structuring periphyton communities in a northern temperate lake. Nutrient releasing substrates and grazer enclosures were used to simultaneously manipulate nutrient availability and herbivory. Periphyton was allowed 18 days to accrue before grazers (Elimia livescens = Goniobasis livescens) were introduced.Addition of nitrogen and phosphorus caused a significant increase in biovolume (p < 0.001), whereas grazing had no significant effect on biovolume but resulted in a shift in species composition. Four taxa were largely responsible for the increase in biovolume on the nutrient enriched substrates: Oedogonium sp, Stigeoclonium tenue, Navicula radiosa var. radiosa and Navicula radiosa var. tenella. By the 28th day, nutrient enrichment caused a shift from a community dominated by diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) to a community dominated by green algae (Chlorophyceae). Blue green algae (Myxophyceae) maintained an equal proportion in high and low-nutrient regimes.Grazing had a more pronounced effect on altering community composition on the nutrient enriched substrates than on the unenriched substrates. Grazing caused a decrease in diversity and an increase in dominance by green algae on the nutrient enriched substrates. The relative biovolume of green algae increased from 64% to 93% on grazed substrates, due to the significant increase in relative abundance of Stigeoclonium tenue. This taxon has both prostate basal cells and erect filamentous cells. The ratio of basal: filamentous cells increased from 4.7 to 5.2 with grazing, suggesting that the heretotrichous growth form of Stigeoclonium tenue is adapted to grazing by virtue of the basal cells which are able to adhere to the substratum and resist being grazed.     

Observations on the fine structure of spermatozoids and vegetative cells of the green alga Golenkinia

Spermatozoids and vegetative cells of the green alga Golenkinia minutissima Iyengar et Balakrishnan have been examined by light and electron microscopy. The biflagellate spermatozoids are of a somewhat specialised type, elongated with the nucleus attached to the flagellar bases, and containing a reduced chloroplast without pyrenoid or eyespot. The flagellar apparatus and root system has been examined in detail and is compared with that found in other green algae. The flagella are of a previously unknown type; they contain only one central microtubule—possibly non-functional—but they move in an apparently normal way. Present knowledge about flagellar roots in green algae has been assembled in a table, showing that the cruciate root has now been found in 10 genera, belonging to almost as many families. Exceptions are Oedogonium, which contains a modification of this type, and the Charales, which are very different. During spermatogenesis in Golenkinia each spermatozoid is surrounded by a wall which disappears at maturity. This fact may prove to be of taxonomic value.

The spines on the vegetative cells are composed of regularly arranged longitudinal fibrils, possibly cellulose, attached to the inner part of the two-layered cell wall. The content of the vegetative cell is typically chlorococcalean.     

Differential sensitivity of green algae to allelopathic substances from Chara

Three short-term laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate allelopathic effects of a mixture of Chara globularis var. globularis Thuillier and Chara contraria var. contraria A. Braun ex Kützing on three different green algae. Single phytoplankton species were exposed to filtered water originating from charophyte cultures. Phytoplankton growth was monitored by determination of chlorophyll concentrations in batch cultures. The change in chlorophyll concentration during the experiments was analysed with a logistic growth model, resulting in an estimate of the exponential growth rate and the duration of the lag phase of the single green algae. The results indicate allelopathic effects of Chara on the growth of the green algae Selenastrum capricornutum Printz and Chlorella minutissima Fott et Nováková, whereas Scenedesmus obliquus (Turpin) Kützing did not seem to be affected. The exponential growth rate of S. capricornutum decreased 7% in the presence of water from a charophyte culture, while the growth rate of C. minutissima decreased with 3%. The allelopathic effect of Chara did not increase when the green alga C. minutissima was P-limited. The effect of Chara was different when young sprouts were used. With young sprouts the duration of the lag phase of C. minutissima was extended (25%), whilst for old plants the growth rate of this green alga decreased. Although the inhibiting effect of charophytes on specific phytoplankton species is rather small, the differential sensitivity of the species to Chara might influence the composition and biomass of phytoplankton communities in the field.     

Evolution of Plant-Like Crystalline Storage Polysaccharide in the Protozoan Parasite Toxoplasma gondii Argues for a Red Alga Ancestry

Single-celled apicomplexan parasites are known to cause major diseases in humans and animals including malaria, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis. The presence of apicoplasts with the remnant of a plastid-like DNA argues that these parasites evolved from photosynthetic ancestors possibly related to the dinoflagellates. Toxoplasma gondii displays amylopectin-like polymers within the cytoplasm of the dormant brain cysts. Here we report a detailed structural and comparative analysis of the Toxoplasma gondii, green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii storage polysaccharides. We show Toxoplasma gondii amylopectin to be similar to the semicrystalline floridean starch accumulated by red algae. Unlike green plants or algae, the nuclear DNA sequences as well as biochemical and phylogenetic analysis argue that the Toxoplasma gondii amylopectin pathway has evolved from a totally different UDP-glucose-based metabolism similar to that of the floridean starch accumulating red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae and, to a lesser extent, to those of glycogen storing animals or fungi. In both red algae and apicomplexan parasites, isoamylase and glucan–water dikinase sequences are proposed to explain the appearance of semicrystalline starch-like polymers. Our results have built a case for the separate evolution of semicrystalline storage polysaccharides upon acquisition of photosynthesis in eukaryotes.This article contains online-only supplementary material.Reviewing Editor:Dr. Patrick Keeling     

陕北黄土高原生物结皮中7种微藻的形态与分子生物学鉴定

陕北黄土高原实施退耕还林后,生物结皮成为其典型的地表覆盖类型,含有丰富的土生藻类,对固定土壤和促进养分循环具有极其重要的作用。该研究通过平板法与水滴稀释法对陕北黄土高原生物结皮土生藻类进行分离培养,采用光学显微镜观察结皮微藻的形态特征,并对单藻种进行分子鉴定,为黄土高原生物结皮藻类的研究奠定基础。结果显示:(1)共纯化获得7种结皮藻类,经光学显微镜初步确定,其中5株为绿藻、2株为蓝藻。(2)5株绿藻SM-2-1、DB-2-1、DB-2-2、SD-1和SD-2的序列长度分别为664 bp、663 bp、662 bp、589 bp和688 bp, GC含量分别为33.43%、49.47%、50.15%、50.76%和51.01%;2株蓝藻YJ-3、YJ-2的序列长度分别为570 bp和465 bp, GC含量分别为46.31%和49.03%。(3)序列比对并构建系统树分析发现,5株结皮绿藻可分为4个分支,分别为栅藻科(Scenedesmaceae)2株(DB-2-1和SM-2-1)、衣藻目(Chlamydomonadales)、环藻科(Sphaeropleaceae)、真眼点藻科(Eust...     

中国淡水共球藻纲新记录属种——土佐牧野藻(Makinoella tosaensis Okada)

报道分别从湖北省武汉市内和云南省西双版纳小水池中分离培养的两株绿藻,对其进行了形态和18S r DNA基因序列分析,编号分别为FACHB-1783和FACHB-1784。这两株绿藻具独特的四边形群体形态,通常为4或16个细胞,细胞为宽椭圆形至不规则卵圆形、细胞壁两端无增厚,叶绿体多数、片状,具蛋白核。结合形态和分子系统发育分析,确定这两株绿藻为我国1种淡水共球藻纲新记录属种——土佐牧野藻(Makinoella tosaensis Okada)。基于18S r DNA基因的系统发育研究表明这两株绿藻与分离自韩国的土佐牧野藻基因序列相似度可达99.6%~99.9%,并且以较高的支持值与土佐牧野藻聚在一起。     

Feeding and growth of Asellus aquaticus (Isopoda) on food items from the littoral of Windermere, including green leaves of Elodea canadensis

SUMMARY. In the laboratory, Asellus aquaticus devoured intact green leaves from growing shoots of the aquatic macrophyte Elodea canadensis. In four collections of A. aquaticus on Elodea in a lake (Windermere), c. 20% of the specimens contained in their guts fragments of green Elodea leaves; this material and pieces of oak (Quercus) were identified from characteristic leaf hairs. Some specimens had also eaten the filamentous alga Oedogonium. Fluorescence microscopy is a useful aid for screening invertebrates that may have eaten living plant tissues. Immature A. aquaticus, with an initial mean body length of c. 3 mm, wet weight c. 1 mg, were grown through sexual maturity over a 49-day period at 15°C in a series of twenty-two experiments (six to twelve isolated specimens in each experiment) comparing growth rates on different foods, including instances where no food was given. Animals were fed on a variety of items collected from the littoral of Windermere, plus some laboratory cultures of algae and bacteria. The highest mean specific growth rate (5.8% day^?1) was obtained on young Elodea leaves mechanically shaken to remove epiphytes. Other diets yielding fast growth rates (3.7–5.3% day^?1) were young growing leaves of Elodea with few epiphytes and older green and brown living leaves covered with a thick growth of epiphytic algae, epiphytic algae removed from Elodea, plastic imitation Elodea immersed in the lake until covered with attached algae, epilithic algae on stones, Oedogonium, and decaying oak leaves. Slower growth (1.3–2.2% day^?1) and poorer survival was obtained on the following: a pure culture of the bacterium Sphaerotilus natans; cultured bacteria from lakewater; the filamentous algae Cladophora and Stigeoclonium both with and without epiphytes; faecal matter from Asellus; freshly killed Asellus; lake sediment. Some growth (mean = 0.7% day^?1) and 50% survival for 21 days occurred in ‘starved’ animals kept in filtered, sterilized lakewater. Better survival and slightly faster growth (1.0–1.5% day^?1) occurred in ‘starved’ animals kept in filtered and unfiltered lakewater. Growth of A. aquaticus was also experimentally determined from birth in animals fed on young green Elodea leaves and on decaying oak leaves. On both diets, growth was curvilinear and approximately exponential from birth to sexual maturity reached at c. 2mg wet weight in 46–60 days at 15°C. In older specimens the relative growth rate gradually fell over a period of 50 days, representing a more linear phase of growth during sexual maturity.     

Taxonomic study of a new green alga,Annulotesta cochlephila gen. et sp. nov. (Kornmanniaceae,Ulvales, Ulvophyceae), growing on the shells of door snails

Some algae are known to grow on shellfish shells. Most of these have been reported in aquatic environments. The species specificity for substrate shells varies, and some algae grow only on the shells of a certain species of shellfish, such as Pseudocladophora conchopheria (Cladophorales, Ulvophyceae) on Lunella coreensis (Trochida, Gastropoda). There are very few reports of algae that grow on land snails. In this study, we discovered green algae growing on the shells of six species of door snails (Clausiliidae) from nine localities in Japan. These green algae formed a green mat composed of thalli embedded in the extracellular matrix. The thallus was composed of aggregated oval cells and peripheral branched filaments. The cells possessed a single parietal chloroplast with a pyrenoid surrounded by two starch sheaths and transversed by a thylakoid. Oil droplets in the cell and ring-like structures on the cell wall surface were frequently observed. The 18S rDNA sequences of all shell-attached algae on different clausiliid species from different localities were almost identical and formed a new clade in the family Kornmanniaceae (Ulvales, Ulvophyceae). No other algae forming visible colonies on the clausiliid shell were found. These findings indicate the presence of specificity between the alga and clausiliid shells. Based on the results of morphological observation and molecular phylogenetic analysis, we propose a new genus and new species of shell-attached green alga, Annulotesta cochlephila.

     

Trophic Cascades Uncoupled in a Coastal Marsh Ecosystem

The Mediterranean population of the exotic eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki (Agassiz 1859) (Osteichthyes, Poeciliidae) has been held responsible for causing eutrophication due to zooplankton removal and phytoplankton enhancement, however no experimental evidence exists of this. To test this allegation, an enclosure experiment was conducted in spring in an oligohaline coastal marsh. The manipulation of fish density had profound effects on zooplankton, whose density greatly decreased when the occurrence of mosquitofish increased. Cladocerans and ostracods were more affected by mosquitofish than cyclopoid copepods, whilst rotifer density was not modified. Changes in zooplankton density did not cascade to lower trophic levels as no differences were observed between the chlorophyll concentration in fish and fish-less enclosures. This is because zooplankton was dominated by species with low filter-feeding rates, such as small cladocerans. In consequence, the total macrophyte standing crop was not affected. The only benthic macroinvertebrate species whose density increased in the absence of eastern mosquitofish was the mud snail P. acuta. Higher numbers of snails explain why the standing crop of the filamentous green algae Oedogonium sp. decreased in fish-less enclosures. The density of chironomid midge larvae did not increase in fish-less enclosures, because eastern mosquitofish forage on them mainly during summer, when zooplankton has already been depleted; nor were damselflies, probably because they are too large. Nitrogen concentration decreased after fish exclusion, but phosphorus concentration remain unchanged. In conclusion, it was found that the eastern mosquitofish affect zooplankton of the Mediterranean oligohaline lagoons considerably, but they do not enhance phytoplankton growth, because the system is bottom-controlled by submerged macrophytes.