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2 Oceanologia

2 2001

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Toxic effect of cyanobacterial blooms on the grazing activity of Daphnia magna Straus

Lotocka M.

Oceanologia

2001

No. 43 (4)

441-453

The investigations aimed to determine the impact of cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa (Kütz.) Kütz. and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs ex Bornet et Flah., both toxic algae, on the grazing intensity of Daphnia magna Straus. In order to determine the parameter permitting the quantitative determination of the grazing intensity of herbivorous organisms, methods based on the following techniques were applied: microscopy, to determine the degree of gut fullness; spectrophotometry, to determine the levels of chlorophyll a and its degradation products in the food composition; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the content of exogenous and endogenous carotenoids. Each of these methods confirmed that the tested algae species inhibited grazing intensity in D. magna Straus. The most obvious effects were obtained when M. aeruginosa (Kütz.) Kütz. was used as food. With these cyanobacteria, the gut fullness indicator did not exceed 58%, and the chlorophyll a content in the digestive system of the tested D. magna was three times lower than that in the control organisms. It seems that the defensive reaction of organisms was a reversible process. However, the possibility of a long-term, sublethal influence of cyanobacteria on the physiology and internal processes of this species cannot be ruled out.

Astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin esters in the copepod Acartia bifilosa (Copepoda, Calanoida) during ontogenetic development [commun.]

Lotocka M., Styczyńska-Jurewicz E.

Oceanologia

2001

No. 43 (4)

487-497

The contents of astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin esters were studied in natural populations of the copepod Acartia bifilosa from the Pomeranian Bay and Gulf of Gdansk in the southern Baltic Sea. Samples dominated by any one of three developmental groups: (1) nauplii, (2) copepodids I-III and (3) copepodids IV-V and adults of Acartia bifilosa were analysed by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). As ontogenetic development progressed, significant changes occurred in the proportion of particular pigments in the total pigment pool of the various developmental groups. Astaxanthin and canthaxanthin occurred in all the groups, the former being clearly dominant. However, an increasing percentage of astaxanthin esters was recorded in the copepodids I-III, and even more in the copepodids IV-V and adults group. Most probably, astaxanthin is the main pigment active in copepod lipid metabolism. Carotenoid pigments in copepods very likely act as efficient free-electron quenchers and may be involved as antioxidants in rapid lipid metabolism. The exogenously feeding stages (late nauplii and copepodids) transform plant carotenoids taken from food and are evidently capable of metabolising astaxanthin by esterification and further degradation. It is emphasised that, according to literature data, astaxanthin esters may have an even higher quenching ability. It is suggested that crustacean carotenoid pigments, with their electron donor-acceptor abilities, may replace oxygen in peroxidation processes connected with lipid metabolism. The consequences of such a physiological role of astaxanthin for present-day estimations of energy balances in zooplankton communities are mentioned.