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Seaweed Allelopathy Against Coral: Surface Distribution of a Seaweed Secondary Metabolite by Imaging Mass Spectrometry

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Abstract

Coral reefs are in global decline, with seaweeds increasing as corals decrease. Although seaweeds inhibit coral growth, recruitment, and survivorship, the mechanism of these interactions is poorly understood. Here, we used field experiments to show that contact with four common seaweeds induces bleaching on natural colonies of Porites rus. Controls in contact with inert, plastic mimics of seaweeds did not bleach, suggesting seaweed effects resulted from allelopathy rather than shading, abrasion, or physical contact. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the hydrophobic extract from the red alga Phacelocarpus neurymenioides revealed a previously characterized antibacterial metabolite, neurymenolide A, as the main allelopathic agent. For allelopathy of lipid-soluble metabolites to be effective, the compounds would need to be deployed on algal surfaces where they could transfer to corals on contact. We used desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) to visualize and quantify neurymenolide A on the surface of P. neurymenioides, and we found the molecule on all surfaces analyzed, with highest concentrations on basal portions of blades.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Fijian government and the Korolevu-i-wai district elders for granting research permissions, C. Dell, A. Warneke, D. Gibbs, and A. Hoey for field help, and V. Bonito for scientific and cultural insight in Fiji. Support came from the National Science Foundation (OCE 0929119), the National Institutes of Health (U01-TW007401), and the Teasley Endowment to the Georgia Institute of Technology. FMF acknowledges support from ARRA NSF MRI Instrument Development grant #0923179.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biology and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Tiffany D. Andras, Julia Kubanek & Mark E. Hay

  2. School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Troy S. Alexander, Asiri Gahlena, Facundo M. Fernandez & Julia Kubanek

  3. Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    R. Mitchell Parry & May D. Wang

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  1. Tiffany D. Andras
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Correspondence to Mark E. Hay.

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Andras, T.D., Alexander, T.S., Gahlena, A. et al. Seaweed Allelopathy Against Coral: Surface Distribution of a Seaweed Secondary Metabolite by Imaging Mass Spectrometry. J Chem Ecol 38, 1203–1214 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-012-0204-9

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