Exploiting the negative biochemical interference between plants and algal species has been suggested as a method to control harmful algal blooms. In this work, we investigated the inhibitory effect of the salt marsh h...Exploiting the negative biochemical interference between plants and algal species has been suggested as a method to control harmful algal blooms. In this work, we investigated the inhibitory effect of the salt marsh halophyte Salicornia europaea against the marine alga Skeletonema costatum. S. europaea suppressed the growth of S. costatum in a nutrient-sufficient co-culture system, indicating that the inhibition of algal growth was because of the phytotoxic effect of S. europaea, rather than nutrient competition. We tested aqueous and organic extracts from S. europaea roots against S. costatum. The organic ex- tracts inhibited growth and affected the cell size and chlorophyll a content of S. costatum in a dose-dependent manner. Among the three tested organic extracts, the methanol extract had the greatest effects on S. costatum, followed by butanol extract, and then the chloroform extract. Two flavonoids, rutin and quercetin-3-13-D-glucoside, were identified in the methanol extract by high performance liquid chromatography. The concentration of rutin was much higher than that of quercetin-3-13-D-glucoside. In an algal bioassay, rutin inhibited the growth of S. costatum and the inhibitory effect increased with increasing rutin concen- tration and with decreasing initial algal density. Therefore, we concluded that S. europaea negatively affects the growth of S. costatum, and that rutin, a metabolite of S. europaea, may play a role in this inhibitory effect.展开更多
基金supported by the Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.KSCX2-EW-J-1)the National High Technology and Research Development Program of China(Grant No.2007AA091704)
文摘Exploiting the negative biochemical interference between plants and algal species has been suggested as a method to control harmful algal blooms. In this work, we investigated the inhibitory effect of the salt marsh halophyte Salicornia europaea against the marine alga Skeletonema costatum. S. europaea suppressed the growth of S. costatum in a nutrient-sufficient co-culture system, indicating that the inhibition of algal growth was because of the phytotoxic effect of S. europaea, rather than nutrient competition. We tested aqueous and organic extracts from S. europaea roots against S. costatum. The organic ex- tracts inhibited growth and affected the cell size and chlorophyll a content of S. costatum in a dose-dependent manner. Among the three tested organic extracts, the methanol extract had the greatest effects on S. costatum, followed by butanol extract, and then the chloroform extract. Two flavonoids, rutin and quercetin-3-13-D-glucoside, were identified in the methanol extract by high performance liquid chromatography. The concentration of rutin was much higher than that of quercetin-3-13-D-glucoside. In an algal bioassay, rutin inhibited the growth of S. costatum and the inhibitory effect increased with increasing rutin concen- tration and with decreasing initial algal density. Therefore, we concluded that S. europaea negatively affects the growth of S. costatum, and that rutin, a metabolite of S. europaea, may play a role in this inhibitory effect.
