Ecological studies of Chloroflexis,a gliding photosynthetic bacterium

Summary Chloroflexis, a gliding, filamentous, photosynthetic bacterium, is present in the stratified algal-bacterial mats which occur in the 50°–70°C temperature range of alkaline hot spring effluents. The organism is in association with the alga in the upper, algal layer, and also forms thick, orange mats beneath the algal layer. Natural populations of Chloroflexis from these mats demonstrated light-stimulated uptake of some ¹⁴C-labelled organic compounds. Photosynthetic ¹⁴CO₂ fixation by natural samples of Chloroflexis was investigated with respect to temperature, light intensity and mat depth. Bacterial photosynthesis was determined in samples in which algae were present by use of the inhibitor 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU). Bacterial photosynthesis was maximal at depths down to about 3 mm and then decreased rapidly to very low levels at greater depths. The greatest amounts of bacteriochlorophyll pigments were also concentrated in the top 3–4 mm of the mat. The optimum light intensity for bacterial photosynthesis (about 400 ft-c) was considerably lower than the normal summer light intensity at the surface of the mat (5000-8000 ft-c).The temperature optima for photosynthesis by the bacterial component of natural mat samples from several sites of different temperatures in a hot spring thermal gradient were determined. Temperature optima approximated the environmental temperatures, indicative of the occurrence of strains of Chloroflexis adapted to different temperatures. Although bacterial standing crop was greatest in the temperature range 50°–55°C, maximum photosynthetic efficiency was observed at about 45°C. Sulfide was stimulatory to photosynthetic ¹⁴CO₂ fixation by naturally occurring populations of Chloroflexis under field conditions. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Chloroflexis may utilize sulfide as an electron donor for photosynthetic CO₂ reduction. However, it is also likely that Chloroflexis grows photoheterotrophically in these mats, obtaining organic compounds from algal excretory products.     

ALGAL EXCRETION AND BACTERIAL ASSIMILATION IN HOT SPRING ALGAL MATS1

Benthic algal-bacterial mats are present in the effluents of alkaline hot springs at temperatures between 50 and 73 C. The thin surface layer is composed of the unicellular blue-green alga Synechococcus lividus. Also present in the surface layer and forming thick, orange mats beneath it, are filamentous, phototrophic, gliding bacteria of the genus Chloroflexis, also capable of heterotrophic growth. The very low species diversity and the constancy of the hot spring environment, make these mats a good ecosystem for studying the transfer of nutrients from the algae to the bacteria. To determine whether the alga might supply organic materials to the bacterium, excretion by natural populations of S. lividus was studied in the field by means of short-term radioisotope experiments. Under optimal conditions for photosynthesis, between 3 and 12% of the total ¹⁴C fixed was excreted as ¹⁴C-labeled organic compounds. Variations in cell density at concentrations of S. lividus approximating those found in the mat had no effect on the percentage excretion. However, at cell densities below a threshold, level, the percentage excretion increased with diminishing cell density. Except at very low light intensities the percentage of fixed carbon excreted, was very similar for all light intensities tested. Excretion at temperatures approaching the upper limit for growth was not significantly different from the percentage excretion values observed at lower temperatures. ¹⁴C-labeled organic compounds excreted during algal photosynthesis could be subsequently assimilated by natural populations of the bacteria present in the mat.     

A quantitative study of calcareous stream and Tintenstriche algae from the Malham district,Northern England

The algal floras of two limestone streams and two calcareous Tintenstrichen are described and compared. The most important factor governing the distribution and abundance of species was the availability of water. Permanently wet stands, dominated by filamentous blue-green algae (Schizothrix calcicola and Phormidium incrustatum) had a greater species diversity than stands subject to frequent drying which were dominated by coccoid blue-green algae (Gloeocapsa spp.).

Significant correlations were found between S. calcicola and water pH (+ve), total species numbers and pH (+ve), filamentous blue-green algae and aufwuchs thickness (+ve) and Calothrix numbers and rock mass colonized (+ve).

The algal flora of the Tintenstrichen and the streams differed, although both developed upon the same limestone formation. The results are discussed with reference to previous work, substratum stability, aufwuchs structure, water chemistry, light and temperature.     

Grazing by Talorchestia longicornis on an algal mat in a new England salt marsh

Grazing experiments using ¹⁴C and an analysis of fecal pellets and gut contents established that the gammaridean amphipod, Talorchestia longicornis Say, ingests blue-green algae on algal mats in a Massachusetts salt marsh. This grazing had a measurable effect on the lower algal mat, where the density of T. longicornis was high. Exclusion of amphipods resulted in increases in chlorophyll a content, carbon incorporation, and nitrogen fixation. This effect was not seen on the upper mat where T. longicornis was less abundant. The assimilation efficiency of T. longicornis feeding on a diet consisting mainly of blue-green algae was surprisingly high (67 %) considering that blue-green algae are usually considered as a poor quality food for herbivores. The population of T. longicornis seems to be annual, with growth of the overwintered juveniles in spring and early summer.     

Temperature as a Factor of Niche Separation in Free-Living Mesostigmatid Mites (Mesostigmata: Arachida, Parasitiformes) of Storm Detritus

We carried out a laboratory investigation of temperature effect on survival as well as reproductive and trophic activities of mesostigmatid mites. Representatives of gamasid (three species) and uropodid (two species) mites abundant in storm detritus were used as model species. The upper reproduction limit and the upper survival limit were determined for the mites and their preys in the thermal range from 29 to 47°C. Most of studied species managed to survive and propagate in a wide thermal range corresponding to the thermal gradient in the peripheral zones of algal belts. The role of temperature as a factor of ecological niche separation in saprophytic Mesostigmata and formation of polydominant mite communities in the algal belts were demonstrated.     

Productivity and species composition of algal mat communities exposed to a fluctuating thermal regime

Algal mat communities growing in thermal effluents of production nuclear reactors at the Savannah River Plant, near Aiken, SC, are exposed to large temperature fluctuations resulting from reactor operations. Rates of primary production and species composition were monitored at 4 sites along a thermal gradient in a trough microcosm to determine how these large temperature fluctuations affected productivity and algal community structure. Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) were the only phototrophic primary producers growing in water above 45°C. These thermophiles were able to survive and apparently adapt to ambient temperatures when the reactor was shut down. The algal mat communities exposed to <45°C were composed of blue-green and eukaryotic algae that adapted rapidly to ambient temperatures. An increase in the percentage extracellular release (PER) of¹⁴C-labeled dissolved organic compounds and a decrease in primary production were observed during periods of thermal fluctuation. The results show that the dominant phototrophs in this artificially heated aquatic habitat have been selected for their ability to survive large temperature fluctuations and are similar to those of natural hot springs.This paper was prepared in connection with work under Contract No. DE-AC09-76SR00001 with the U.S. Department of Energy.     

Phoretic association betweenMacrocheles muscaedomesticae (Acari: Macrochelidae) and flies inhabiting poultry manure in Peninsular Malaysia

The phoretic association betweenMacrocheles muscaedomesticae and flies that inhabited poultry manure in a poultry farm in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia was studied. The effects of temperature, relative humidity and fly abundance on phoretic rates also were in vestigated.The most abundant fly species found wasMusca domestica; Musca sorbens, Chrysomyia megacephala andOphyra chalcogaster were present in relatively large numbers.Representatives of ten families of mites were found on collectedMu. domestica. The most common mite wasMa. muscaedomesticae (Macrochelidae), found on all four species of flies mentioned above. The highest infestation (2.0%) occurred onO. chalcogaster butMu. domestica had the highest average number infested (5.7).The ventral part of the housefly's abdomen was the most common site of mite attachment. Usually only one mite was found attached per fly.The highest phoretic rate recorded was 64.4Ma. muscaedomesticae per 1000Mu. domestica. There was no correlation between phoretic rates andMa. muscaedomesticae abundance, nor was relative humidity a factor. However, a positive correlation was recorded in this host species between phoretic rates and temperature.This paper forms part of the Ph. D. thesis of the author submitted to the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, in March 1988.     

Response of a parasitoid fly, Gymnosoma rotundatum (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tachinidae) to the aggregation pheromone of Plautia stali Scott (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and its parasitism of hosts under field conditions

We studied the attraction of a tachinid fly, Gymnosoma rotundatum (Linnaeus) to the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the brown-winged green bug, Plautia stali Scott, its parasitism on the bug, and its seasonal occurrence in the field. The tachinid fly was continuously attracted to the aggregation pheromone from spring to autumn and utilized the bugs as hosts. Our field experiment to clarify the effect of the pheromone on parasitism demonstrated that parasitism occurred only in female bugs baited with synthetic aggregation pheromone and did not occur in females without the pheromone. The parasitoid flies therefore appeared to use the bug’s pheromone as a host-finding kairomone. The pheromone attracted not only female flies but also males. Male flies may increase their chance of encountering pheromone-attracted females by waiting near pheromone sources. The tachinid develops multiple generations in active hosts from spring to autumn and overwinters in dormant hosts. Thus, G. rotundatum seems to be highly adapted to using P. stali as its host, and it is a potentially important biological control agent of P. stali populations in the field.     

An experimental demonstration of trophic interactions affecting water quality of Rice Lake, Ontario (Canada)

Eight cylindrical enclosures (3 m diameter, 2.7 m long, V = 20m³) were installed in eutrophic Rice Lake (Ontario, Canada) in late spring of 1987. Fish (yearling yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and macrophytes (Potamogeton crispus) presence and absence were set at the beginning of the experiment to yield four combinations of duplicate treatments. The purpose of the experiment was to determine if the phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrophytes and fish species resident in the lake interact to influence water quality (major ions, phosphorus, algal densities and water clarity).The presence of fish was associated with: (1) decreased biomass of total zooplankton, (2) decreased number of species in the zooplankton, (3) decreased average size of several zooplankton taxa, (4) higher total phosphorus concentrations, (5) higher phytoplankton and chlorophyll a concentrations, (6) lower water clarity, (7) lower potassium levels during macrophyte die-back, (8) lower pH and higher conductivity in the presence of macrophytes. Biomass of large Daphnia species (but not total zooplankton) was highly correlated with the algal response (r ² = 0.995) and was associated with reduced biomass of several algal taxa including some large forms (Mougeotia, Oedogonium) and several colonial blue-green algae. However, no significant control of late summer growth of the bloom-forming blue-green alga Anabaena planctonica Brun. was achieved by the Daphnia presence-fish absence treatment. Release of phosphorus to the water column during the die-back of P. crispus was not an important phenomenon.     

Regulation of blue-green algal buoyancy and bloom formation by light,inorganic nitrogen,C02, and trophic level interactions

In highly eutrophic ponds, buoyancy of the gas-vacuolate blue-green alga Anabaenopsis Elenkinii (Miller) was regulated by complex interactions between chemical and physical parameters, as well as by biological interactions between various trophic levels. Algal buoyancy and surface bloom formation were enhanced markedly by decreased light intensity, and to a lesser extent by decreased CO₂ availability and increased availability of inorganic nitrogen. In the absence of dense populations of large-bodied Cladocera, early season blooms of diatoms and green algae reduced light availability in the ponds thus creating conditions favorable for increased buoyancy and bloom formation by A. Elenkinii. The appearance of blue-green algal blooms could be prevented by a reduced density of planktivorous fish, which allowed development of dense cladoceran populations. The cladocerans limited the growth of precursory blooms of diatoms and green algae, and given the resulting clear-water conditions, buoyancy of A. Elenkinii was reduced, and blue-green algal blooms never appeared.     

Phoretic relationship between the myceliophagous mite Microdispus lambi (Acari: Microdispidae) and mushroom flies in Spanish crops

We studied the role played by the phorid Megaselia halterata (Wood) and the sciarid Lycoriella auripila (Winnertz) in the phoretic dispersion of the myceliophagous mite Microdispus lambi (Acari: Pygmephoridae). Twenty‐four crops were monitored during 18 months in commercial mushroom farms in Castilla‐La Mancha (Spain). Adults of both species were collected weekly and the mites they carried were counted and identified. Both phorids (19.6%) and sciarids (4.4%) carried the mite M. lambi. The calculated load of each was 3.4 M. lambi mites per phorid and 1.9 per sciarid. The same percentage of male and female phorid was used as vector, but the load was slightly higher for females (1.86 mites per female compared with1.48 mites per male). A mean of 7.2% of the phorids examined in winter were vectors of M. lambi, while in spring and autumn of the first year the average was more than 22%. The mean load did not vary significantly between seasons. Inside the mushroom farms, less than 10% of a small initial population of phorids carried mites (less than two mites per phorid). As the cycle progressed, more than 35% of a larger population of emerging flies did so (average 3.5 mites per phorid vector). At the end of the growth cycle, the flies may fly off to colonise nearby farms, favouring the propagation of M. lambi from infested to uninfested crops. Megaselia halterata is the principal vector of M. lambi in the mushroom farms of Castilla‐La Mancha due to their high numbers, the high percentage carrying mites and the number of M. lambi they carry.     

Territorial behavior of threespot damselfish (Eupomacentrus planifrons) increases reef algal biomass and productivity

Synopsis Algal growth and damselfish (Eupomacentrus planifrons) territories were studied in two reef habitats at Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Damselfish territories were contiguous in the reef flat (0 to 2.5 m), where the algal composition and biomass varied from territory to territory. In contrast, on the lower reef terrace (22 m), damselfish territories were often spatially segregated. While the algal composition of the territories was more uniform on the reef terrace, the total algal biomass was lower than in the territories on the reef flat. Damselfish are largely herbivorous, and they defend their territories against most intruding fish, including a number of herbivorous species. Areas of the reef terrace outside of damselfish territories were heavily grazed by herbivorous fishes and contained only small quantities of non-crustose algae.The reef terrace territories were characterized by a multispecific turf of algae (greens, blue-greens, and reds) covering the Acropora cervicornis framework and by the leafy, brown alga, Lobophora variegata. A rapid reduction in the biomass of brown algae and filamentous algae was noted when damselfish were permanently removed from their territories. Only calcified, encrusting algae — plants apparently somewhat undesirable as fish food sources — would be common on the terrace zone of this reef if damselfish territories were absent. Damselfish territoriality may significantly influence the dynamics of some reefs by increasing the biomass of the algal turf thereby increasing; reef productivity. Since blue-green algae, potential nitrogen fixers, occur in these algal turfs, the fish may also be indirectly affecting reef nutrition.     

La flora e le associazioni algali della Sorgente di Salomone (Anterselva,Bolzano). Facies estiva

Abstract

The flora and algal associations of Salomon's spring (Anterselva, Bolzano). Summer facies. – Salomon's spring is situated in Anterselva valley (Bolzano), a characteristic valley of a glacial escavation, having a typical profile formed like a « U » and a wide peat-bog on the bottom. The source springs at 1100 mts above the sea-level from a zone of waste-layer formed by fragments of metamorphic rocks (ortogneiss). Then it gives birth to a small pool from which the water flows very slowly forming a little stream. The spring has a plentiful algal flora rich of species (66, including the varieties too) belonging to the following classes: Cyanophyceae (12), Xanthophyceae (4), Bacillariophyceae (38), Euchlorophyceae (8), Ulothricophyceae (3), Zygophyceae (1).

In the spring are described the following algal associations:

–Diatometum hiemalis, that forms many brown-reddish little flocks on the borders and in the anfractures of the big stones that occupy the source;

–Diatometum hiemalis subass. ceratoneietosum, formed by gelatinous little masses amoung the stalks of some phanerogams forming floating clods at the surface of the spring;

–Melosiretum italicae, the most developed association of the spring, looking like wide islets floating on the surface and filamentous drapings fixed at the stones;

–Homoeothriceto-Chamaesiphonetum, which forms wide blue-coloured casings on many submerged stones;

–Phormidietum membranaceum (Fjerdingstad, 1950, Douglas, 1958; Phormidium community, Fritsch, 1929; Fjerdingstad, 1964), that forms many thick mucous blue-green coloured coats on some of the submerged stones.     

The effect of Daphnia on filament length of blue-green algae

Water from a hypertrophic lake rich in filamentous blue-green algae was passed through a continuous-flow system of aquaria containing Daphnia magna, and a control system without Daphnia. Daphnia caused a significant decrease in the blue-green algal density, and a two-fold reduction in filament length. It is suggested that feeding activity of Daphnia may result in an increase in the availability of blue-green filaments to filter-feeding cladocerans.     

Functional structure of algal mat (Cladophora glomerata) in a freshwater in western Poland

GAMs (Generalized Additive Models) present a growth pattern for the common filamentous algae (FA) taxa in freshwater ecosystems in Poland. Tribonema, Ulothrix taxa are an early spring species. In comparison with Rhzioclonium, Cladophora and Oedogonium taxa, the algae Zygnemataceae (e.g. Zygnema, Spirogyra) occurs in waters with lower levels of nutrients, total dissolved substances and electrical conductivity. Cladophora glomerata shows different responses to environmental gradients than C. rivularis, C. fracta. Furthermore, the algae Cladophora glomerata (Chlorophyta, Ulvophyceae) forms a thick monoalgae mat (from the surface to the bottom) in the shallow and eutrophic Lake Oporzynskie in Wielkopolska Region in Poland (Central Europe). Detailed algal mat characteristics, physical and chemical parameters of water, and pigments in thalli were measured vertically (surface, middle, bottom) and spatially (marginal and central part) in the stationary mat phase during maximal algal growth. Temperature, dissolved oxygen and PAR irradiation significantly declined as the depth of the mat increased. Water turbidity was greater in the surface layer than in deeper parts, in contrast to the concentrations of N-NO₃, N-NH₄ and TDS. Pigment content in the cells of C. glomerata, cell lengths and diameters of pyrenoids changed throughout the mat, from top to bottom. The obtained data were used for statistical analyses. In conclusion: dense mats of C. glomerata show a vertical stratification while the mats remain spatially homogenous. Our data suggest that mat structure be considered a biological indicator of freshwater eutrophication.     

Grazing on filamentous algae by herbivorous zooplankton

SUMMARY. 1. Feeding experiments were conducted to examine filtering rates and selectivity of a variety of zooplankton taxa (including cladocerans, copepods and a rotifer) for filamentous diatoms, green and blue-green algae.
2. Most herbivores were capable of consuming some filamentous algae at rates similar to or higher than those on unicellular algae. Only feeding of Diaphanosoma brachyurum Liéven and Moina micrura Kurz seemed to be primarily limited by the filamentous morphology.
3. Filtering rates and selectivities of most herbivores were much higher for the diatom Melosira granulata angustissima Müller than for similarly sized blue-green algal filaments, indicating that chemical factors strongly influence consumption of filamentous algae.
4. The toxic blue-green algal filament Anabaena flos-aquae De Brébisson NRC 44–1 had a much strong inhibitory effect on zooplankton feeding than other filaments. The only herbivores that were not inhibited by this strain have been shown to be resistant to blue-green algal toxins, or strongly avoided consuming the blue-green alga. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of filamentous algae is due more to toxic or noxious chemicals than to the filamentous morphology.
5. Selectivities of zooplankton for filamentous algae were largely independent of herbivore body size. The small-bodied cladoceran Bosmina longirostris Müller had the highest selectivities for filamentous algae.     

DETERMINING THE ADULT AGE OF THE ORIENTAL LATRINE FLY, CHRYSOMYA MEGACEPHALA (FABRICIUS) (DIPTERA: CALLIPHORIDAE) BY PTERIDINE FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS

The relationship between head pteridine fluorescence (HPF) levels and age in adult females and males of a common necrophagous fly, Chrysomya megacephala, and effects of temperature and fly sex on the relationship were studied by pteridine fluorescence spectrophotometry. Factors affecting HPF levels in flies were found to include fly age, temperature and fly sex, among which the fly age was the most dominant one. There were significant linear relationships between HPF levels and age both for female and male adult flies at five constant temperatures, i. e. 16°C, 20°C, 24°C, 28°C and 32°C. The relationship between mean rate of pteridine accumulation (FV or MV) and temperature (t) could be well described by a modified exponential equation of FV=0.01288 e^{(0.2241t‐3.127)}+0.3649 (r²= 0.9987) for females and a linear regression equation of MV= 0.0574 t ‐ 0.3637 (r²= 0.9557) for males. Using the information from the experiments at five constant temperatures, three calculated methods as the candidates were developed for accurately determining the age of the fly by HPF levels at ambient temperature. The results revealed that these three methods were suitable for estimating the age only for male flies, but not for female flies. The smallest average error of the predicated age was 2.55 days for males. In addition, how to employ which of these three developed methods for determining ages of male flies in practical was also discussed.     

Struttura e biomassa dei popolamenti fitoplanctonici del Lago Omodeo (Sardegna centrale)

Abstract

Composition and biomass of phytoplanktonic communities of Lago Omodeo (Central Sardinia).—A qualitative and quantitative study has been made on the phytoplankton of Lago Omodeo. The algal associations are typical of eutrophic waters. The dominant blue-green algae in summer and autumn were: Chroococcus dispersus, Microcystis flos-aquae, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Anabaena flos-aquae, Anabaena planctonica; dominant in winter and spring the diatom Melosira distans. The mean standing crop of algae for the trophogenic zone was 9.2 mm³/l; a maximum crop of 53 mm³/l was recorded in August during a Microcystis bloom.     

Response of thermal algal-bacterial mat to grazing by brine flies

Gelatinous mats of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and bacteria in alkaline thermal springs of Yellowstone National Park add biomass at the surface more rapidly than material is degraded in the anaerobic layers underneath. This inequality leads to flow diversion and exposure of mat surface. The microenvironment of these cool exposed islands is drastically altered as adults and larvae of ephydrid fly species invade, feed on, and solubilize the mat. We studied the effect of this grazing by comparing hot and cool ungrazed controls with mat that was cooled and remained open to invasion by ephydrid flies. Mat community biomass changes (ash free dry weight-AFDW) and changes in bacterial numbers were determined. Mat biomass was essentially unchanged for 3 weeks in the controls. Numbers of bacteria remained unchanged in the cool ungrazed control but decreased by more than 90% in the hot-ungrazed control. Grazing by ephydrid flies initially increased both mat biomass and numbers of unicellular heterotrophic bacteria. When grazed mat was reexposed to flowing hot water, biomass and bacterial numbers per mg AFDW declined immediately and significantly. The long-term effect of grazing on the mat is solubilization with downstream biomass export and subsequent initiation of successional algal-bacterial mat regrowth. Our experimental results suggest an initial stimulation of net photosynthesis by grazing, possibly related to the promotion of bacterial activity resulting in the release of essential mineral nutrients and/or free CO₂.