Journal article
Isolation of diverse amoebal grazers of freshwater cyanobacteria for the development of model systems to study predator-prey interactions
Algal research (Amsterdam), v 13(1), pp 85-93
01 Jan 2016
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
A common method for large-scale production of algal crops is growth in outdoor open-air ponds. While this approach is more cost-effective, outdoor open-air ponds are prone to contamination by competing algae, pathogens, and eukaryotic grazers, including ciliates, flagellates, and amoebae. To characterize grazers of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, we have performed enrichments and isolations from water samples obtained from environmental sites and from an experimental production pond. We obtained a set of amoebal isolates that show diversity in phylogeny, morphology, and locomotion. After examination of grazing on solid medium and in liquid medium, we found that some amoebal isolates can graze on a range of cyanobacterial species, while other amoebal isolates appear to have a more limited prey range. These prey ranges correlate with observed growth rates and cyst formation, suggesting differing growth and survival strategies for amoebae in the environment. Taken together, this work provides a glimpse into the range of natural amoebal predators of cyanobacteria and establishes model systems of predator-prey interactions. Further characterization of these systems will facilitate development of strategies for crop protection of open-air algal production ponds. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Details
- Title
- Isolation of diverse amoebal grazers of freshwater cyanobacteria for the development of model systems to study predator-prey interactions
- Creators
- Amy T. Ma - Scripps Institution of OceanographyEmy F. Daniels - Scripps Institution of OceanographyNathaniel Gulizia - Scripps Institution of OceanographyBianca Brahamsha - Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Publication Details
- Algal research (Amsterdam), v 13(1), pp 85-93
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- California Center for Algal Biotechnology (Cal-CAB) Summer BioEnergy Research Program DE-EE0003373 / Department of Energy; United States Department of Energy (DOE)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000370183100009
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84959373091
- Other Identifier
- 991019168426404721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology