Sequestration of dietary secondary metabolites by three species of sea hares: location,specificity and dynamics

We examined the location of squuestered secondary metabolites in three species of sea hares, Stylocheilus longicauda, Dolabella auricularia, and Aplysia californica (Opisthobranchia: Anaspidea). The sea hares ate a natural diet or were fed an artificial diet containing secondary metabolites in the laboratory. In all three species, sequestered secondary metabolites were located almost exclusively in the digestive gland, an internal organ, rather than in the exterior parts of the body, in eggs, or in ink (released when sea hares are disturbed). S. longicauda, a specialist sea hare, was able to sequester measur-able amounts of all six algal metabolites offered (caulerpenyne, halimedatetraacetate, pachydictyol A, malyingamides A and B, and ochtodene) and two (luffariellolide and Dysidea spp. brominated diphenyl ether) of three sponge metabolites offered (chondrillin was not sequestered). Malyngamides A and B, found in the host plant of S. longicauda, were sequestered at high, but not unique concentrations. D. auricularia, a generalist sea hare, was fed caulerpenyne, pachydictyol A and malyngamide B; patterns of sequestration of these three compounds did not differ markedly between S. longicauda and D. auricularia. S. longicauda did not lose measurable amounts of malyngamides after 18 d on a malyngamide-free diet. These results suggest that sea hares have generic mechanisms for sequestering algal metabolites rather than mechanisms that are tightly linked to particular compounds, that these mechanisms do not differ dramatically between species, and that sequestered secondary metabolites are not located optimally for defense.     

Damage-inducibility of primary and secondary metabolites in the wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

Summary. Induction of secondary metabolites to herbivore damage is a widespread phenomenon among plants and serves to enhance resistance by reducing suitability or increasing toxicity of foliage. Post-damage responses of primary metabolites are less well known; reductions in primary metabolites may increase resistance by decreasing palatability or nutritional suitability for herbivores or by potentiating toxicity of secondary metabolites. In this study, we examined response to simulated herbivory in Pastinaca sativa, the wild parsnip, in both primary and secondary metabolites. We found that induction of secondary metabolites in response to damage is largely restricted to a single class of compounds, the furanocoumarins. These prooxidant compounds are known to be toxic to a wide variety of insect herbivores. The only primary metabolite that responded to damage was total soluble protein, which increased significantly 24 h after damage. After 24 h, the correlation between total furanocoumarins and total sugars was significant and negative (r = − 0.697). This correlation likely reflects an independent response of sugar to damage, rather than a diversion of resources into furanocoumarin production, inasmuch as this correlation at 3 h, after furanocoumarin induction had taken place, was not significant. In other secondary metabolite pathways, damage produced a significant decline in farnesene and a C-16 unsaturated fatty acid, 7,10,13-hexadecatrienoic acid, each of which may potentiate the furanocoumarin defense response. Farnesene may enhance photooxidative activation of the furanocoumarins and 7,10,13-hexadecatrienoic acid may serve as a precursor to jasmonic acid, a key hormone in regulating induction responses. With few key exceptions, quantities of both primary and secondary metabolites in wild parsnip foliage are unaffected by damage. Those that are affected may well play a role in resistance of parsnips to herbivores. Received 1 July 1998; accepted 28 September 1998.     

Dietary preferences of the opisthobranch mollusc Stylocheilus longicauda for secondary metabolites produced by the tropical cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula

Pure compounds isolated from the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula Gomont were evaluated in an artificial diet for their influence on the feeding preferences of the sea hare Stylocheilus longicauda (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824), which lives in and feeds on this filamentous cyanobacterium (blue-green alga). Microcolin B, ypaoamide, malyngolide and other natural products acted as feeding deterrents at natural concentrations. At lower concentrations, sea hares were indifferent to ypaoamide and malyngolide in their diets. In contrast, barbamide stimulated sea hare feeding at the concentrations normally found in L. majuscula. Malyngamides and majusculamides, the most common natural products found in samples of L. majuscula from Guam, increased sea hare feeding at low concentrations and inhibited feeding at the higher concentrations that occurred in some collections of L. majuscula. Dietary selection of cyanobacteria by S. longicauda may be regulated by the concentration of specific chemical cues produced by L. majuscula. Received: 28 January 1997 / Accepted: 24 April 1998     

Control of populations of the coral-feeding nudibranch Phestilla sibogae by fish and crustacean predators

Juvenile lesser blue crabs, Callinectes similis Williams, were exposed to a range of salinities for measurement of survival and bioenergetics. Effects of salinity on survival were determined by exposing juvenile crabs to salinity treatments ranging from 0 to 74‰. All crabs survived 21 d of exposure to 5 and 45‰S. The 21 d LC₅₀ values for salinity tolerance (calculated from survival data) were 2.6 and 60.8‰S at low and high salinities, respectively. Energy-budget components and scope for growth were determined for crabs exposed to 2.5, 10, 25, 35 and 50‰S. Energetic absorption rates were highest at 2.5 and 35‰S. Energetic expenditure rates (energy lost to respiration and excretion) were greatest at 2.5‰S, and decreased as salinity increased. Respiration constituted the majority of energetic expenditure at all salinities (92.3% average). Scope for growth was significantly affected by salinity and was highest in crabs exposed to 35‰S. Increased respiration at low salinity may indicate that C. similis incurs greater costs due to osmoregulation. The results of this study indicate that C. similis is capable of surviving and growing in waters with salinities as low as 10‰. Received: 10 January 1997 / Accepted: 11 February 1997     

Seaweed secondary metabolites as antifoulants: effects of Dictyota spp. diterpenes on survivorship, settlement, and development of marine invertebrate larvae

Summary. A recent investigation showed that the brown seaweed Dictyota menstrualis was unfouled relative to co-occurring seaweeds, and that larvae of fouling invertebrates avoided settling on D. menstrualis due to chemicals on its surface. The secondary metabolites dictyol E and pachydictyol A are among the compounds found on this alga's surface. In the present study, we tested the effects of specific diterpenes from Dictyota on the survivorship, growth, and development of invertebrate larvae and developing juveniles that could foul seaweeds. Exposure to dictyol E, dictyol B acetate, pachydictyol A, and dictyodial from Dictyota menstrualis and D. ciliolata caused significant larval mortality, abnormal development, and reduce growth rates for three species of co-occurring invertebrates when their larvae were forced into contact with these metabolites. Larvae were damaged at metabolite concentrations as low as 5% of maximum possible surface concentrations of these compounds for the populations of Dictyota we studied. The negative effects of these secondary metabolites on potential foulers, in conjunction with data demonstrating larval avoidance of dictyol-covered surfaces, suggest that these compounds could function as chemical defenses against fouling, and could select for larvae that avoid hosts producing these metabolites. Received 25 May 1998; accepted 22 June 1998.     

Diet and food preferences of the adult horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus in Delaware Bay,New Jersey,USA

Adult horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus (L.) feed on a wide variety of infaunal and epifaunal invertebrates during their spring spawning migration in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA. Comparison of the gut contents with estimates of available prey showed that the most abundant potential prey item, the bivalve Gemma gemma, was avoided. The thinner shelled but comparatively scarce clam Mulinia lateralis was a preferred prey item. In the laboratory, crabs fed on G. gemma when it was the only available item but not when M. lateralis or soft-shell clams, Mya arenaria, were offered in conjunction. Large M. lateralis (>10mm) were preferred to small M. lateralis; there was no discrimination between M. lateralis and M. arenaria of the same size. Male and female horseshoe crabs had similar gut contents and laboratory feeding preferences, despite the fact that females are larger than males. Crabs spawning later in the summer contained more food than did crabs collected at the peak of spawning activity.     

Toxicity and palatability of some British ascidians

Bioassays were conducted to test crude extracts of nine temperate-water ascidians for bioactivity against a range of marine organisms. The extracts generally produced moderate to weak effects, with the exception of those from the ascidian Clavelina lepadiformis, which consistently produced high mortalities against invertebrates. Some of these were then tested in simple palatability assays for feeding-deterrent effects. In general, no strong effects were detected for assays with shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) and fishes (the goby Pomatoschistus minutus and the grey mullet Chelon labrosus). Feeding-deterrent effects were observed with Carcinus maenas for the extracts of Aplidium proliferum, Botryllus schlosseri and Dendrodoa grossularia. It is postulated that these ascidians are unpalatable, but no toxic effects are evident.     

Effects of sulfide exposure history and hemolymph thiosulfate on oxygen-consumption rates and regulation in the hydrothermal vent crab Bythograea thermydron

The hydrothermal vent crab Bythograea thermydron is exposed to high environmental concentrations of sulfide and low levels of oxygen for extended periods of time. It has previously been shown that hydrogen sulfide is oxidized to the relatively non-toxic thiosulfate (S₂O ₃ ^2– ), which accumulates in the hemolymph. Hemolymph thiosulfate levels in freshly captured crabs vary significantly among crabs from different hydrothermal vent sites as well as between crabs from different microhabitats within the same site. Hemolymph thiosulfate concentrations were not significantly different between crabs captured at the same site 6 mo apart. Hemolymph thiosulfate concentrations ranged from 66 mol 1^–1 in a crab captured at a site with relatively low sulfide venting, to 3206 mol 1^–1 in an individual that was netted from an active smoker vent with much higher sulfide exposure. The differences in hemolymph thiosulfate between sites and the stability of hemolymph thiosulfate in crabs captured at the same site at different times suggest that sulfide exposure is significantly different between sites and that this exposure may not vary significantly over the course of a few months. B. thermydron experimentally exposed to sulfide had high levels of thiosulfate in their hemolymph and increased abilities to regulate oxygen consumption in conditions of low oxygen. This enhancement of regulatory abilities suggests that the previously demonstrated increased hemocyaninoxygen (Hc–O₂) affinity due to elevated thiosulfate may be adaptive in vivo. Average oxygen-consumption rates were much higher in crabs experimentally exposed to sulfide than in unexposed crabs. Crabs injected with isosmotic thiosulfate did not have increased oxygen-consumption rates as did the sulfide-exposed individuals, but did show a similar reduction in P _c (the critical partial pressure of oxygen at which crabs can no longer regulate oxygen consumption). This suggests that it is the sulfide exposure and/or detoxification rather than the elimination of thiosulfate that causes the increase in metabolic rate. Thiosulfate diffuses into dead crabs and into live crabs exposed to 15 mmol S₂O ₃ ^2- l^–1, indicating substantial permeability, and yet live crabs are able to eliminate thiosulfate when incubated in sea water containing 1.5 mmol S₂O ₃ ^2- l^–1, suggesting a process that has an active component.     

Osmotic and ionic regulation in the fiddler crab Uca rapax acclimated to dilute and hypersaline seawater

Adult male Uca rapax, collected from the central coast of Venezuela in early 1994 were gradually acclimated to salinities ranging from 1.7 to 139S. The hemolymph osmolality (791±15 mOsmol in crabs from 26S) changed less than three-fold over the entire range of concentrations tested. The urine was isosmotic with the hemolymph in crabs exposed to dilutions <26S, and significantly hyperosmotic in those exposed to media >34.8S. The hemolymph levels of Na⁺, Cl^–, K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ (320±13, 405±17, 7.8±0.7, 7.2±0.1 and 31±2.2 mmol l^–1, respectively, in crabs acclimated to 26S) were maintained fairly constant over the range from 8.7 to 99S, decreasing by 15% in the more dilute media or increasing sharply to about twice those values in crabs from 139S. The excretory organs contributed to the osmoionic regulation of the hemolymph in crabs exposed to <3.5 or to >34.8S, by means of the partial reabsorption or excretion, respectively, of salts from or into the urine. The results described place U. rapax among the most powerful hypo/hyper-regulating crustaceans known.     

Mitochondrial gene variation in Mercenaria clam sibling species reveals a relict secondary contact zone in the western Gulf of Mexico

We investigated phylogeographic relationships among American Mercenaria taxa by assessing variation in a 444 nucleotide fragment of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal gene in clams sampled from four representative sites in January to November 1994. Three of these sites were in the Gulf of Mexico, one was on the Atlantic coast in South Carolina. Direct sequencing of this amplified gene fragment in 85 individuals revealed 21 haplotypes. Phylogenetic analyses consistently resolved this variation into three well supported clades, and within-clade genetic divergence levels were markedly lower than among-clade values. One of the clades, A, was taxon-specific, in that it solely and exclusively contained specimens of M. mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758) sampled in South Carolina. The other two clades, B and C, were the most divergent and both encompassed specimens of M. campechiensis (Gmelin, 1791) and of M. campechiensis texana (Dall, 1902), sampled from the three Gulf of Mexico sites. Clade B was found at high frequencies at all three Gulf sites, whereas Clade C occurred at low frequencies at two western Gulf sites. We interpret this pattern as resulting from the secondary contact and introgression of two allopatrically differentiated Mercenaria taxa in the western Gulf of Mexico. Clade C haplotypes may represent relict mitochondrial lineages from original Gulf Mercenaria spp. populations that predate massive mitochondrial introgression by M. campechiensis. We further propose that the M. campechiensis texana nuclear genome is a mosaic, heavily weighted toward M. campechiensis, but containing some relict alleles inherited from the precontact population, especially those governing shell characteristics, which may be adaptive in cohesive sediments of bays and estuaries in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.     

Size-related selection of two intertidal gastropods by the reef crab Ozius truncatus

Reef crabs, Ozius truncatus H. Milne-Edwards 1834, and gastropods, Bembicium nanum (Lamarck, 1882) and Nerita atramentosa Reeve, 1855, were collected from a South Australian rocky intertidal platform in April 1981. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine (1) the size of prey chosen, and (2) the energy gained by the reef crabs feeding on B. nanum and N. atramentosa. The time taken to break open and consume prey increased exponentially with prey shell height. Crabs with larger master claws had shorter handling times for a given prey size. When offered a range of prey sizes, crabs selected prey of a certain size, well below the maximum prey size that they could handle. The mean prey size selected by crabs did not concide with the size predicted to yield the maximum rate of energy gain. For example, one reef crab preferred B. nanum 5 to 8 mm in size, but the size class predicted to yield the greatest energy gain was 4 to 4.9 mm. The results of the laboratory prey-choice experiments are discussed in relation to the shore-level size gradients of B. nanum and N. atramentosa.     

Feeding ecology of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Digestive tract contents collected from carcasses of 82 loggerhead sea turles (Caretta caretta) found on the south Texas coast from 1986 through 1988 were examined. Benthic invertebrates were the predominant prey. Sea pens (Virgularia presbytes), crabs, and mollusks accounted for 94% of the dry weight of the digestive tract samples. Temporal changes in the percent occurrence and percent dry weight of sea pens, crabs, and mollusks in the digestive tract samples were significant. Loggerheads fed primarily on sea pens during spring, then primarily on crabs during summer and fall. The increase of crabs in the loggerhead diet paralleled the annual increase in the abundance of crabs in the Gulf of Mexico. Sea pens were located nearshore at depths of 6 to 12 m and had a disjunct distribution. Present address: Texas A&M University, Department of Biology, College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA     

Bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere of nineteen plant species and antimicrobial activity of their leaf secondary metabolites against leaf associated bacteria

Summary. The scope of this work was to examine whether leaf constitutive secondary metabolites play a role in determining bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere. To this aim, we surveyed nineteen native or cultivated plant species that share a common bacterial pool in a North Mediterranean area, and estimated the size of total and ice nucleation active (INA) bacterial populations on their leaves. Large differences in the colonization of their phyllosphere were found; the population size of epiphytic bacteria ranged from 7.5 × 10² to 1 × 10⁶ CFU/g fresh weight, in eucalypt and celery, respectively. Species native in Mediterranean-type climate areas, particularly those belonging to the group of aromatic plants, are characterized by scarce presence of INA bacteria. The antibacterial activity of essential oils, surface phenolics and leaf tissue extracts was also estimated against the INA strains P. syringae and E. herbicola, isolated from two of these plant species. E. herbicola proved more sensitive than P. syringae. Of the species examined, oregano [Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link.) Ietswaart], an aromatic plant, had the highest antimicrobial activity, whereas six species showed no activity at all. Further experiments were performed with oregano and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that represent two extremes in their secondary metabolite content. Both plants were inoculated with P. syringae. By the end of incubation, the bacterial population on bean plants was about 100 times higher than that on oregano leaves. Scanning electron micrographs showed that bacterial growth on oregano leaves was confined to sites away from glandular hairs. Results from the bacterial colonization survey together with those from the toxicity tests showed that all species rich in antibacterial secondary metabolites harbored low leaf bacterial populations. These results provide substantial evidence that leaf secondary metabolites function as constitutive defense chemicals against microbial invasions. However, the fact that species with non- or moderately active leaf secondary metabolites are not always highly colonized suggests mediation of other unknown factors, the contribution of which requires further investigation.     

Water stress alters aphid-induced glucosinolate response in Brassica oleracea var. italica differently

Glucosinolates (GS) are the main secondary metabolites in brassicaceous plants that play an important role in plant defense and plant–insect communication. GS biosynthesis in plants and their accumulation may be influenced by biotic and abiotic stressors from the environment. In the present study, GS levels in broccoli plants, Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck, grown under different water status conditions of soil—well-watered, drought and waterlogged—were determined after two aphid species, the specialist Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) and the generalist Myzus persicae (Sulzer), had fed on them for 7 days. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that GS levels were significantly induced after B. brassicae had fed on B. italica plants grown for 2 weeks under the various water status conditions. No significant differences were determined between GS induction in the three treatments. In contrast, the induction of GS after M. persicae had fed on the plants depended greatly on water stress levels. GS content in well-watered plants increased more significantly than in plants grown under drought conditions. Feeding by M. persicae did not increase GS levels when plants were grown under waterlogged conditions. The lowest plant growth were found in M. persicae-infested plants for all three water treatments, and measurements of GS showed that the induction of GS by M. persicae decreased in line with the reduction in infested plant growth. GS induction by B. brassicae did not alter remarkably following change in plant growth under water stress. Only one of the five glucosinolates detected, the aliphatic GS 4-methylsulfinylbutyl, remained unchanged after feeding of both, M. persicae and B. brassicae, on plants under water stress. Variation in GS levels was mainly observed for the induction of indolyl GS due to aphid herbivory, but changes in indol-3-ylmethyl GS were not always consistent with the induction of other indolyl GS.     

Nutritional phagostimulants function as male courtship pheromone in the German cockroach, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blattella germanica</Emphasis>

Summary. Males of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, secrete a pheromonal substance from the abdominal tergal glands, which elicits a feeding response in females during the sequential courtship behavior. The nuptial secretion consists predominantly of a synergistic mixture of sugars and phospholipids. Cholesterol and a series of amino acids, which are also components of the males glandular secretion, significantly enhanced the phagostimulant activity of the sugar components. The nuptial feeding behavior of the female cockroach is therefore elicited by a complex assortment of nutritive components in the male tergal secretion, including sugars, phospholipids, cholesterol, and amino acids. These results indicate that a mixture of primary metabolites, and not of specific secondary metabolites, serves as a pheromonal cue that appeals to the females gustatory sense and effectively brings her to the precopulatory position. Although the male secretion consists of nutrients, we suggest that these compounds probably do not represent a significant nutrient investment in females and their progeny but rather function as a signal in the mating sequence of B. germanica.     

Survival and chloride ion regulation of the porcelain crab Petrolisthes armatus exposed to mercury

Acute toxicity bioassays conducted at various salinities demonstrated that mercury (as mercuric chloride) at low concentrations was lethal to Petrolisthes armatus. Ninety-six hour LC₅₀ values varied from 50 to 64 parts per billion (ppb) of mercury, depending on test salinities. Lower salinities. decreased the time to death of mercuryexposed crabs. Differences in survival after 96 h due to salinity were not statistically significant. Blood chloride concentrations were regulated hyperchloride to the medium at low salinities and hypochloride at high salinities by acclimated crabs. The salinity isochloride to blood was 20 S. Transfer of crabs from 15 S to salinities ranging from 7 to 35 S resulted in new steadystate chloride levels within 12 h. Exposure to 50 ppb mercury did not alter chloride ion regulation of either acclimated crabs or crabs adjusting to new salinities.     

Geese and dietary allelochemicals — food palatability and geophagy

Summary The palatability of plants was studied in young, immature and adult geese of three species,Anser anser, Anser indicus andBranta canadensis, with respect to secondary plant metabolites. In their first 1–4 weeks of life, hand-reared goslings feed on a wide variety of plants, more or less irrespective of their allelochemical contents. Older birds become more selective, but still consume plants which are normally considered to be unpalatable or even toxic for other animals. Choice experiments were performed with pure secondary metabolites which were offered on otherwise highly palatable food items, such as leaves ofTaraxacum officinale. These experiments revealed a similar trend, in that very young goslings discriminate their food much less than older goslings or adult geese. In general, food contaminated with essential oils was rejected, whereas alkaloids, glycosides, amines and sulfur compounds were tolerated to a remarkable degree. In consequence, especially young, but also adult geese must have a high capacity to tolerate and/or to detoxify dietary allelochemicals. Another detoxification mechanism became evident during the experiments: geese ingest soil and mud quite regularly. It could be shown experimentally that the respective soil had a high capacity to bind alkaloids. We assume that geophagy is a means (besides a presumed active detoxification in the liver) to adsorb and thus reduce the contents of dietary allelochemicals.     

Resource utilization for decorating in three intertidal majid crabs (Brachyura: Majidae)

 For three spider crabs (Tiarinia cornigera, Micippaplatipes and Pugettia quadridens quadridens), patterns of algal utilization for decorating were compared with the dynamics of algae on an intertidal rocky shore reef where the crabs co-occurred. T. cornigera and P. quadridens quadridens were most abundant from autumn to spring when the dominant algae (Boodleacoacta, Sargassum hemiphyllum, S. thunbergii and Corallina pilulifera) occurred in high coverage, while M. platipes was most abundant from spring to autumn. Monthly change of algae used for decorating was not correlated with algae growing in the crab habitat for T. cornigera, but for M. platipes, it was positively correlated for two algal species, and for P. quadridens quadridens, negatively correlated for one algal species. Each species of the spider crabs used some algal species preferentially for decoration. Decorating preference experiments conducted in the laboratory showed that M. platipes and P. quadridens quadridens exhibited similar preference to their algal utilization in the field, whereas for T. cornigera, algal preference in the experiment differed from utilization in the field. Comparisons between materials used for decoration and gut contents revealed that T. cornigera and M. platipes used algal species differently for decorating and feeding, while P. quadridens quadridens used the same algal species for both decorating and feeding. Different tactics for camouflage are discussed in terms of algal utilizations by the three majid species. Received: 25 September 1999 / Accepted: 22 June 2000     

Influence of simulated tidal cycles on aromatic hydrocarbon uptake and elimination by the shore crab Hemigrapsus nudus

Specimens of the intertidal crab Hemigrapsus nudus (Dana, 1851) were collected near Sitka, Alaska, in 1983, and were used in laboratory experiments to determine the influence of periodic exposure to air on the toxicity, uptake, and elimination of two aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene and naphthalene. Three tidal cycles were simulated; i.e., crabs spent 0, 33, or 66% of the time in air and the remainder of the time in toxicant or seawater solutions. Naphthalene was 10 to 20 times more toxic than toluene: naphthalene caused locomotory impairment or killed the crabs more rapidly and at concentrations lower than those of toluene. In tissues, naphthalene was accumulated faster and to higher concentrations than was toluene. Exposure to air 66% of the time reduced mortality as well as the rate at which toluene and naphthalene were accumulated and lost. Crabs exposed to air had significantly higher respiration rates than those submerged in seawater; thus, reduced rates of accumulation and loss of hydrocarbons were not caused by general metabolic quiescence. Exposure to air reduced the time the crabs were in contact with water-borne hydrocarbons and, therefore, reduced toxicity of the hydrocarbons. Once crabs had accumulated the toxicants, however, elimination was hindered by exposure to air, even for the somewhat volatile compound toluene.     

Evaluation of the antimutagenic and antiradical potentials of extracts from the tubers of (Tunisian) Cyperus rotundus

The mutagenic potential of aqueous, total oligomers flavonoids (TOF), ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from tubers of Cyperus rotundus L. was assessed using Ames Salmonella tester strains TA98 and TA100, and SOS chromotest strain Escherichia coli PQ37 with and without metabolic activation (S9). None of the different extracts produced a mutagenic effect. Likewise, the antimutagenicity of the same extracts was tested using the “Ames test” and the “SOS chromotest”. Our results showed that C. rotundus extracts possess antimutagenic effects against S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains towards the mutagen aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), similar to E. coli PQ37 strain against AFB1 and Nifuroxazide mutagens using the SOS chromotest assay. A free radical scavenging test was used in order to explore the antioxidant capacity of the extracts obtained from the tubers of C. rotundus. TOF, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts showed an important free radical scavenging activity towards the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazine (DPPH) free radical. These extracts showed an IC50 value of respectively 5, 20 and 65?µg?mL^?1. The beneficial effects of TOF, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of C. rotundus were assessed by antioxidant and antimutagenic activities.