Inhibition of the growth of micro-algae and bacteria by extracts of eelgrass (Zostera marina) leaves |
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Authors: | Paul G Harrison A T Chan |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 2B1 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada;(2) Department of Oceanography, University of British Columbia, V6T 1W5 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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Abstract: | The effects of the water-soluble fraction of dead leaves of the eelgrass Zostera marina L. on the growth of 8 species of micro-algae (pennate and centric diatoms, dinoflagellates, and a green flagellate) and a bacterium were studied on agar plates and in liquid culture. The extracts of leaves which had been dead from a few days to 2 wk inhibited growth and often killed cells in all test organisms. Extracts were lethal even at concentrations equivalent to as little as 0.25 mg dry leaf ml-1, but inhibition decreased when extracts were prepared from leaves aged in the laboratory for 35 d (loss of anti-bacterial activity) or 90 d (loss of anti-algal activity). Extracts of leaves which had aged and dried several months in the field had no effect, except at very high concentrations (13 mg dry leaf ml-1) when the lag phase of growth was prolonged several days in a culture of the chlorophyte Platymonas sp. The active fraction in eelgrass leaves may be important in controlling initial growth of micro-organisms on eelgrass detritus, and it could determine the composition and activity of the epiphytic community on living leaves. |
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