DOCSLIB.ORG

Isotopic Labeling and Antifungal Resistance As Tracers of Gut Passage of the Sea Fan Pathogen Aspergillus Sydowii

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Isotopic Labeling and Antifungal Resistance As Tracers of Gut Passage of the Sea Fan Pathogen Aspergillus Sydowii Vol. 86: 1–7, 2009 DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS Published September 7 doi: 10.3354/dao02106 Dis Aquat Org Isotopic labeling and antifungal resistance as tracers of gut passage of the sea fan pathogen Aspergillus sydowii Krystal L. Rypien1, 2,*, David M. Baker1 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Dale R. Corson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA 2Present address: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Biology Research Division, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0202, La Jolla, California 92093, USA ABSTRACT: Vectors play a critical role in the ecology of infectious disease by facilitating between- host transmission, emphasizing the multi-species nature of disease. Corals are suffering an onslaught of infectious diseases, yet we know little about the role of vector species in the ecology of these epi- zootics. The infection of octocorals by the fungus Aspergillus sydowii is a widespread Caribbean coral disease. The snail Cyphoma gibbosum is a likely vector species because it is a specialist preda- tor of octocorals, moves regularly among coral colonies, and aggregates on diseased corals. We used a novel application of stable isotope techniques and antifungal-resistant strains of A. sydowii to iden- tify the potential for this snail to vector disease. The use of both isotopically labeled and hygromycin- resistant fungus was successful in definitively tracing A. sydowii through the guts of C. gibbosum from ingestion to feces. Further, we demonstrated in laboratory experiments that snails fed antifun- gal-resistant A. sydowii excrete viable spores and hyphae in their feces. Overall, this study demon- strates the usefulness of isotopic labeling and antifungal-resistant fungi to trace the movement of pathogen propagules in microbially diverse environments, and suggests that C. gibbosum may be able to spread aspergillosis between octocoral hosts. KEY WORDS: Coral disease . Isotope label . Hygromycin resistance . Flamingo tongue snail . Gut passage . Corallivore . Specialist predator . Aspergillus sydowii . δ15N Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION 2006). Vector biology can also interact with environ- mental changes to influence disease dynamics; for Infectious disease rarely involves just pathogen and example, climate change and globalization can alter host. Rather, networks of species interact with the the distribution and life cycle duration of vectors pathogen either directly through vector-based trans- (Harvell et al. 2002, Anderson et al. 2004). mission and multiple host species, or indirectly In contrast to well-known vector dynamics on land, through disease-mediated effects on community struc- vectors of marine diseases are comparatively rare ture and function (Antonovics et al. 1995, Dobson 2004, (McCallum et al. 2003). However, this could be the Hatcher et al. 2006, Keesing et al. 2006). Vectors are a result of insufficient study rather than a genuine pat- critical component of the network of species interact- tern. With the recent increase in the number and ing with infectious diseases because of their influence severity of marine epidemics (Harvell et al. 2004, Ward on the epidemiological cycle. Vector-borne diseases & Lafferty 2004), identifying marine diseases where are often highly virulent, due to the increase in trans- vectors play a role is critical to management. This is mission efficiency they afford (Ewald 1983), and trans- especially true for diseases infecting a sessile host, mission is generally frequency-dependent (Antonovics where the presence of vectors could dramatically et al. 1995), which alters the impact of species diversity increase the rate of disease spread (McCallum et al. on disease dynamics (Dobson 2004, Keesing et al. 2003). *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2009 · www.int-res.com 2 Dis Aquat Org 86: 1–7, 2009 Corals are vulnerable to emergent disease due to the of aspergillosis, as it is likely influenced by disease numerous environmental stressors placed upon the through the removal of its coral prey, and may in turn coral holobiont (Hoegh-Guldberg 1999, Gardner et al. influence between-host transmission of aspergillosis 2003, Hughes et al. 2003, Harvell et al. 2007), as well as by acting as a vector. their proximity to coastal pathogen sources (Patterson Marine environments are microbially diverse, mak- et al. 2002). Several coral diseases have vectors that ing the study of a single species or strain of pathogen contribute to, but are not entirely responsible for, dis- challenging. Previous studies tracing the gut passage ease spread. These vectors are almost exclusively coral of pathogens often relied on direct culturing or molec- predators that inadvertently ingest pathogens and ular identification (Dromph 2001, Colgan & Claridge spread them during feeding movements. Corallivorous 2002, Meier et al. 2002, Lilleskov & Bruns 2005), both snails have been identified as vectors of an unknown of which are ineffective for cosmopolitan species such disease in Caribbean acroporid corals (Williams & as Aspergillus sydowii, which is a common indoor air Miller 2005), and have been associated with coral dis- contaminant (Klich 2002). Here we investigated 2 ease outbreaks in the Red Sea (Antonius & Riegl 1997). methods for tracing pathogen propagules through the In the Mediterranean, the predatory polychaete Her- environment: the use of isotopically labeled or modice carunculata is a vector and reservoir of the hygromycin-resistant A. sydowii. The ecological likeli- coral pathogen Vibrio shiloi (Sussman et al. 2003). hood of snails feeding on diseased corals was assessed While these vectors are not the sole mechanism of using a choice-feeding assay, where snails were transmission, positive feedback due to injury from pre- offered artificial food amended with crude organic dation and aggregative feeding behavior suggest that extracts from diseased and healthy corals. The results they play a critical role in the ecology of these coral of these studies demonstrate the utility of these meth- diseases. ods to track the passage and viability of ingested fun- Aspergillosis is a fungal disease of Caribbean octo- gus, and indicate that Cyphoma gibbosum may be a corals caused by Aspergillus sydowii. This disease was vector of aspergillosis. first observed in the early 1990s (Nagelkerken et al. 1997a,b) and infects at least 8 different species of octo- corals (Smith & Weil 2004), the dominant group on MATERIALS AND METHODS many Caribbean reefs (Opresko 1973). Specialist predators, such as the snail Cyphoma gibbosum, that Food choice experiment. Sixteen adult (>2.5 cm) are dependent on octocorals for habitat, food, and Cyphoma gibbosum were collected from North Nor- oviposition sites, are a group that will likely suffer the man’s Reef (23° 47’ 386’’ N, 76° 08’ 273’’ W), Bahamas. effects of aspergillosis. C. gibbosum is common on Snails were maintained in individual cages (14 × 14 × many Caribbean reefs, and makes regular mate- and 14 cm) in a flow-through natural seawater system at food-searching movements (Nowlis 1993), with snails the Perry Institute for Marine Science, Caribbean moving among corals on average every 3 d (K. Rypien Marine Research Center. Snails were acclimated and unpubl.). Although C. gibbosum will eat most octoco- starved for 4 d prior to experimentation. ral species, it does demonstrate distinct host prefer- Artificial food consisted of 2.5% carrageenan and ences. The most common preferred genera include 12.5% feeding attractant (10 cm fragment of homoge- Eunicea, Plexaura, Pseudopterogorgia, and Gorgonia nized Eunicea flexuosa [formerly Plexaura flexuosa, (Birkeland & Gregory 1975, Harvell & Suchanek 1987, Grajales et al. 2007], a preferred food source; Harvell & Lasker & Coffroth 1988, Lasker et al. 1988, Chiappone Suchanek 1987, Lasker & Coffroth 1988, Lasker et al. et al. 2003, K. Rypien unpubl.). 1988, Chiappone et al. 2003) in 10 ml distilled water, Observations of increased density of Cyphoma gib- and organic extracts from either healthy or diseased bosum on diseased sea fans (Nagelkerken et al. 1997a, Gorgonia ventalina. Organic extracts were prepared Slattery 1999), and the overlap between preferred by collecting fragments from G. ventalina colonies octocoral species and those infected by Aspergillus (10 healthy, 10 diseased), extracting twice in dichlo- sydowii (Smith & Weil 2004), suggest that aspergillosis romethane, evaporating the dichloromethane, and re- may affect non-host species by altering the distribution suspending in a minimal amount of acetone. The of predators. Although the mode of transmission of extracts were added to the artificial food at naturally aspergillosis is unknown, an analysis of spatial pat- volumetric concentrations. The artificial food was terns of disease suggests that direct contact is not the poured into molds and cut into 3 × 1 × 0.2 cm pieces sole mechanism of transmission, and secondary mech- and weighed. Snails were given a block of food from anisms such as vectors may facilitate spread at loca- each treatment spaced equidistantly in the cage. Once tions with high disease prevalence (Jolles et al. 2002). at least 50% of both blocks of food was consumed Thus, C. gibbosum is a key link in the disease ecology (approximately 20 h), the food was removed, patted Rypien & Baker: Tracers of pathogen propagules 3 dry, and re-weighed. The proportion of food eaten was stored at 4°C until the end of the experiment, when all checked for normality and analyzed using a
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Origins and Spread of Aspergillus Sydowii, an Opportunistic Pathogen of Caribbean Gorgonian Corals
    THE ORIGINS AND SPREAD OF ASPERGILLUS SYDOWII, AN OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGEN OF CARIBBEAN GORGONIAN CORALS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Krystal Leeanne Rypien May 2008 © 2008 Krystal Leeanne Rypien THE ORIGINS AND SPREAD OF ASPERGILLUS SYDOWII, AN OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGEN OF CARIBBEAN GORGONIAN CORALS Krystal Leeanne Rypien, Ph. D. Cornell University 2008 Coral reefs are increasingly suffering outbreaks of disease, causing dramatic declines in population abundance and diversity. One of the best-characterized coral diseases is aspergillosis, caused by the fungus Aspergillus sydowii. My dissertation investigates the origins and spread of aspergillosis in Caribbean gorgonian coral communities. The role of host resistance in aspergillosis is well established, however we know little about variation in resistance through time or the role of pathogen virulence. Using geographically distinct pathogen isolates in a clonally replicated design, I found equivocal evidence for variation in host response to pathogen isolates, with most fungal treatments showing no difference from the control. Interestingly, the two isolates that did induce a host response represent a pathogenic and an environmental isolate, suggesting that Aspergillus sydowii is a true opportunist. Aspergillus sydowii is a globally distributed saprophyte commonly found in soil, so its presence in marine systems raises questions about its origin. Using microsatellite markers, I analyzed the population structure of A. sydowii from diseased sea fans, diseased humans, and environmental sources worldwide. The results indicate a single global population. Moderate differentiation between isolates from sea fans and those from environmental sources, along with higher growth rates at 37°C by sea fan isolates, suggests that selection within the marine environment could be driving population subdivision.
    [Show full text]
  • Highlights Report with Live Links
    CENSUS OF MARINE LIFE MAKING OCEAN LIFE COUNT www.coml.org Census of Marine Life Projects Information System: OBIS Nearshore: NaGISA Coral Reefs: CReefs Regional Ecosystems: GoMA Continental Shelves: POST Continental Margins: COMARGE Abyssal Plains: CeDAMar Mid-Ocean Ridges: MAR-ECO Seamounts: CenSeam Vents and Seeps: ChEss Arctic Ocean: ArcOD Antarctic Ocean: CAML Top Predators: TOPP Zooplankton: CMarZ Microbes: ICoMM Oceans Past: HMAP Oceans Future: FMAP National and Regional Implementation Committees Australia Canada Caribbean China Europe Japan Indian Ocean Indonesia South Korea South America Sub-Saharan Africa United States Like an underwater spaceship, a jellyfish,Aequorea macrodactyla, travels through the warm, clear waters of the Celebes Sea in the Western Pacific Ocean. The jellyfish was but one of thousands of specimens photographed during a three-week Census expedition to explore this highly diverse area. Photo: Larry Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A Truly Global Endeavor The Census of Marine Life is a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a ten-year scientific initiative to assess and ex- plain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans. The world’s first com- prehensive Census of Marine Life—past, present, and future—will be released in 2010. The Census gratefully acknowledges the financial support of numerous governments and organiza- tions from around the world. Moreover, many of the highlights in this report were only realized through the generous collaborative spirit and un- precedented cooperation of Census researchers and their international colleagues. A complete list of Census sponsors, funding partners, collaborat- ing institutions, and participating individuals is available at www.coml.org.
    [Show full text]
  • Aspergillus Sydowii Marine Fungal Bloom in Australian Coastal Waters, Its Metabolites and Potential Impact on Symbiodinium Dinoflagellates
    marine drugs Article Aspergillus Sydowii Marine Fungal Bloom in Australian Coastal Waters, Its Metabolites and Potential Impact on Symbiodinium Dinoflagellates Aiko Hayashi 1, Andrew Crombie 2, Ernest Lacey 2, Anthony J. Richardson 3,4, Daniel Vuong 2, Andrew M. Piggott 5 and Gustaaf Hallegraeff 1,* 1 Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia; [email protected] 2 Microbial Screening Technologies, Building A, 28-54 Percival Rd, Smithfield NSW 2164, Australia; [email protected] (A.C.); [email protected] (E.L.); [email protected] (D.V.) 3 CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research, Ecosciences Precinct, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia; [email protected] 4 Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia 5 Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +61-3-6226-2623 Academic Editors: Samuel Bertrand and Olivier Grovel Received: 9 February 2016; Accepted: 3 March 2016; Published: 16 March 2016 Abstract: Dust has been widely recognised as an important source of nutrients in the marine environment and as a vector for transporting pathogenic microorganisms. Disturbingly, in the wake of a dust storm event along the eastern Australian coast line in 2009, the Continuous Plankton Recorder collected masses of fungal spores and mycelia (~150,000 spores/m3) forming a floating raft that covered a coastal area equivalent to 25 times the surface of England. Cultured A. sydowii strains exhibited varying metabolite profiles, but all produced sydonic acid, a chemotaxonomic marker for A.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Theecological Systemsof Puerto Rico
    United States Department of Agriculture Guide to the Forest Service Ecological Systems International Institute of Tropical Forestry of Puerto Rico General Technical Report IITF-GTR-35 June 2009 Gary L. Miller and Ariel E. Lugo The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Authors Gary L. Miller is a professor, University of North Carolina, Environmental Studies, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804-3299.
    [Show full text]
  • Lists of Names in Aspergillus and Teleomorphs As Proposed by Pitt and Taylor, Mycologia, 106: 1051-1062, 2014 (Doi: 10.3852/14-0
    Lists of names in Aspergillus and teleomorphs as proposed by Pitt and Taylor, Mycologia, 106: 1051-1062, 2014 (doi: 10.3852/14-060), based on retypification of Aspergillus with A. niger as type species John I. Pitt and John W. Taylor, CSIRO Food and Nutrition, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia and Dept of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102, USA Preamble The lists below set out the nomenclature of Aspergillus and its teleomorphs as they would become on acceptance of a proposal published by Pitt and Taylor (2014) to change the type species of Aspergillus from A. glaucus to A. niger. The central points of the proposal by Pitt and Taylor (2014) are that retypification of Aspergillus on A. niger will make the classification of fungi with Aspergillus anamorphs: i) reflect the great phenotypic diversity in sexual morphology, physiology and ecology of the clades whose species have Aspergillus anamorphs; ii) respect the phylogenetic relationship of these clades to each other and to Penicillium; and iii) preserve the name Aspergillus for the clade that contains the greatest number of economically important species. Specifically, of the 11 teleomorph genera associated with Aspergillus anamorphs, the proposal of Pitt and Taylor (2014) maintains the three major teleomorph genera – Eurotium, Neosartorya and Emericella – together with Chaetosartorya, Hemicarpenteles, Sclerocleista and Warcupiella. Aspergillus is maintained for the important species used industrially and for manufacture of fermented foods, together with all species producing major mycotoxins. The teleomorph genera Fennellia, Petromyces, Neocarpenteles and Neopetromyces are synonymised with Aspergillus. The lists below are based on the List of “Names in Current Use” developed by Pitt and Samson (1993) and those listed in MycoBank (www.MycoBank.org), plus extensive scrutiny of papers publishing new species of Aspergillus and associated teleomorph genera as collected in Index of Fungi (1992-2104).
    [Show full text]
  • AMNH Digital Library
    lime • Fish tha 10/04 V / / / X Come Fly $3.95 USA $4.95 CANADA 1 0> WITH Me! 246846 4 M*"-^- ^'.'.'L-^ -m We're not just breaking new ground W I ! I I ^J U I V W III W I \^ W Toyota's eight U.S. manufacturing plants are setting the standards for building quality into every vehicle we produce. Today, eight Toyota models are manufactured in the U.S. and last year alone we built more than a million vehicles here.* Since we first began doing business in America, Toyota has been committed to reinvesting into the local economy. Through manufacturing, sales and marketing, research and design facilities, as well as our purchasing from local suppliers, we're creating jobs and opportunities in communities across America. And with new plants under construction in San Antonio, Texas and Jackson, Tennessee, we'll continue to break new ground every day. "Toyota components and vehicles are made using many U.S. sourced parts. ^§'2004 toyota.com/usa TOYOTA ALAPAGOS CXpGiriGIICG IVIdttGirSa And so does commitment. I first visited Galapagos with my fattier in 1967, when he opened up the possibility of exploring the islands by ship. I still remember that voyage moment by moment. I was struck above all with the wildlife's total lack of fear as my daughter (below) discovered too in her first encounter with marine iguanas. Galapagos is a very special place and I believe that if you, the traveler, have a great experience there, your passion will play a big role in securing the future well-being of these islands.
    [Show full text]
  • The Isolation and Identification of Fungi from the Soil in Gardens of Cabbage Were Contaminated with Pesticide Residues in Subdistrict Modoinding
    International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science (IJRES) ISSN (Online): 2320-9364, ISSN (Print): 2320-9356 www.ijres.org Volume 4 Issue 7 ǁ July. 2016 ǁ PP. 25-32 The Isolation and Identification of Fungi from the Soil in Gardens of Cabbage Were Contaminated with Pesticide Residues in Subdistrict Modoinding Stella D. Umboh1), Christina L. Salaki2), Max Tulung2), Lucia C. Mandey2), And Redsway T.D. Maramis2) 1) Doctoral Student at the University of Sam Ratulangi, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Mobile Phone: + 62- 81340091042. E-mail: [email protected] 2) Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sam Ratulangi, Manado, North Sulawesi Abstract: Application of pesticides in the garden cabbage can cause negative effects harmful to the environment and living things. The objectives of this research were to get species of fungi from the soil in the gardens of cabbage contaminated with pesticide residues in Subdistrict Modoinding. Isolation of fungi using dilution plate method with serial dilutions of 10-2 to 10-5 on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Of the five soil treatments in the gardens of cabbage obtained 76 isolates of the fungus. Isolates of soil fungi that were successfully identified macroscopically and microscopically. These fungal isolates included in 13 families and 22 species. Fungal species according to the following families: Endomycetaceae (Geotrichum candidum), Trichocomaceae (Penicillium citrinum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Paecilomyces lilacinus, Aspergillus foot cell, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus niger), Sordariaceae (Chrysonilia sitophila), Mucoraceae (Mucor hiemalis), Pleurostomataceae (Pleurostmophora richardsiae), Hypocreaceae (Gliocladium virens), Pythiaceae (Phytophthora infestans), Chaetomiaceae (Humicola fuscoatra), Eremomycetaceae (Arthrographis cuboidea), incertae sedis (Scytalidium lignicola), Bionectriaceae (Gliocladium roseum) and Arthrodermataceae (Microsporum audouinii).
    [Show full text]
  • Presence of Aspergillus Sydowii, a Pathogen of Gorgonian Sea Fans In
    The ISME Journal (2009) 3, 752–755 & 2009 International Society for Microbial Ecology All rights reserved 1751-7362/09 $32.00 www.nature.com/ismej SHORT COMMUNICATION Presence of Aspergillus sydowii,a pathogen of gorgonian sea fans in the marine sponge Spongia obscura Neta Ein-Gil1,2,3, Micha Ilan1, Shmuel Carmeli2, Garriet W Smith4, Joseph R Pawlik5 and Oded Yarden3 1Department of Zoology, George S Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel; 2School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel; 3Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The RH Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel; 4Department of Biology, University of South Carolina-Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA and 5Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC, USA The fungus Aspergillus sydowii is the causative agent of epidemics that affect gorgonian corals (sea fans) and has significantly affected their populations in the Caribbean Sea. We have isolated a strain of A. sydowii from healthy marine sponges (Spongia obscura) collected in Bahamian inshore waters. After its identification on the basis of morphology, molecular markers and chemical profiling followed by pathogenicity tests, we found this strain to be highly similar to a strain isolated from diseased coral, and have shown the capacity of this fungus to persist in sponge environment. Our findings suggest that sponges have the possibility of being reservoirs of a potential marine pathogen. The ISME Journal (2009) 3, 752–755; doi:10.1038/ismej.2009.18; published online 12 March 2009 Subject Category: microbe-microbe and microbe-host interaction Keywords: chemical ecology; Spongia obscura; Gorgonia ventalina Microbial diseases of marine invertebrates have Association of filamentous fungi with marine been rapidly increasing in recent decades (Rosen- sponges was reported by Holler et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity of Pigmented Fungi Isolated from Marine Environment in La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean: New Resources for Colored Metabolites
    Journal of Fungi Article Biodiversity of Pigmented Fungi Isolated from Marine Environment in La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean: New Resources for Colored Metabolites Mireille Fouillaud 1,2,* , Mekala Venkatachalam 1 , Melissa Llorente 1, Helene Magalon 3, Pascale Cuet 3 and Laurent Dufossé 1,2 1 Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et des Sciences des Aliments—LCSNSA EA 2212, Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, F-97744 Saint-Denis CEDEX 9, Ile de La Réunion, France; [email protected] (M.V.); [email protected] (M.L.); [email protected] (L.D.) 2 Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs Réunion Océan Indien—ESIROI, 2 Rue Joseph Wetzell, F-97490 Sainte-Clotilde, Ile de La Réunion, France 3 UMR ENTROPIE and LabEx CORAIL, Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, F-97744 Saint-Denis CEDEX 9, Ile de La Réunion, France; [email protected] (H.M.); [email protected] (P.C.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +2-62-48-33-62 Received: 31 May 2017; Accepted: 28 June 2017; Published: 2 July 2017 Abstract: Marine ecosystems cover about 70% of the planet surface and are still an underexploited source of useful metabolites. Among microbes, filamentous fungi are captivating organisms used for the production of many chemical classes of secondary metabolites bound to be used in various fields of industrial application. The present study was focused on the collection, isolation, screening and genotyping of pigmented filamentous fungi isolated from tropical marine environments around La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean. About 150 micromycetes were revived and isolated from 14 marine samples (sediments, living corals, coral rubble, sea water and hard substrates) collected in four different locations.
    [Show full text]
  • Aspergillosis in the Common Sea Fan Gorgonia Ventalina: Isolation of Waterborne Hyphae and Spores
    Vol. 109: 257–261, 2014 DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS Published July 3 doi: 10.3354/dao02736 Dis Aquat Org NOTE Aspergillosis in the common sea fan Gorgonia ventalina: isolation of waterborne hyphae and spores Victoria J. Troeger1, Paul W. Sammarco1,2,*, John H. Caruso1 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA 2Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), 8124 Highway 56, Chauvin, Louisiana 70344, USA ABSTRACT: The octocoral disease aspergillosis is caused by the terrestrial fungus Aspergillus sydowii. The possibility of secondary (horizontal) transmission of aspergillosis among common sea fans Gorgonia ventalina would require waterborne transmission of hyphae and/or spores. A labo- ratory filtration experiment confirmed that fungal hyphae and spores were shed into the water by infected fans. This suggests that secondary infection might be possible in this species. It remains to be determined whether healthy fans actually develop aspergillosis after contact with hyphae- laden water. KEY WORDS: Aspergillosis · Sea fan · Gorgonia ventalina · Gorgonian · Secondary transmission · Hyphae · Spores · Aspergillus sydowii · Octocoral · Disease Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION dust (Shinn et al. 2000, Jolles et al. 2002, Garrison et al. 2006). Within a few years of its description, the causative An analysis of spatial distribution of this disease in agent of aspergillosis in gorgonians (Fig. 1) was a sea fan population in the Florida Keys (USA) has identified as Aspergillus sydowii, a common terres- suggested that the disease may be spread through trial fungus (Smith et al. 1996, Geiser et al. 1998). secondary transmission and infection, i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Host Specificity and Phylogenetic Relationships Among Atlantic Ovulidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
    Contributions to Zoology, 79 (2) 69-78 (2010) Host specificity and phylogenetic relationships among Atlantic Ovulidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Bastian T. Reijnen1, 2, Bert W. Hoeksema1, Edmund Gittenberger1 1 Department of Marine Zoology, Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, PO Box 9517, NL 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands 2 E-mail: [email protected] Key words: Anthozoa, Alcyonacea, Caribbean, Curaçao, molecular phylogeny, symbiosis Abstract the Ovulidae for a long time (Goud and Hoeksema, 2001), live on stylasterid corals (Hydrozoa: Athecatae: Ovulid gastropods and their octocoral hosts were collected Filefera). Pedicularia differs from the undisputed along the leeward coast of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. New molecular data of Caribbean and a single Atlantic species were ovulids in radula morphology (Simone, 2004); it is combined with comparable data of Indo-Pacific Ovulidae and a now classified in the separate family Pediculariidae single East-Pacific species from GenBank. Based on two DNA (Fehse, 2007; Lorenz and Fehse, 2009). markers, viz. CO-I and 16S, the phylogenetic relationships Thirty-seven species of Ovulidae Fleming, 1822, are among all ovulid species of which these data are available are known from the Caribbean and Atlantic area (Lorenz reconstructed. The provisional results suggest a dichotomy be- and Fehse, 2009). The dominant genus in the Carib- tween the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific taxa. Fully grownSimnia - lena uniplicata closely resembles juvenile Cyphoma gibbosum bean is Cyphoma Röding, 1798, with 14 species of conchologically. Cymbovula acicularis and C. bahamaensis which Cyphoma gibbosum (Linnaeus, 1758) is the might be synonyms. The assignments of Caribbean host species most common. Due to the low number of ovulid spe- for Cyphoma gibbosum, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesopredator Release and the Effectiveness of Camera Traps for Estimating Mammal Abundances in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
    Mesopredator release and the effectiveness of camera traps for estimating mammal abundances in the Eastern Cape, South Africa A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE of RHODES UNIVERSITY By JONATHAN MICHAEL TAYLOR November 2015 Abstract Remotely operated cameras (camera traps) have become an indispensable tool for many ecologists, particularly those studying rare and elusive animals. A plethora of camera trap makes and models are now commercially available, yet the effects of their varying design features on the quality and quantity of data recorded remains principally unknown. Better understanding of differing camera trap designs is needed before adequate management policies can be implemented, especially when the aim is to protect vulnerable and endangered species such as many carnivores. Habitat loss and human conflict has prompted worldwide declines of apex predator populations. Following this, many smaller predators have undergone population ‘explosions’ due to the lack of top-down forcing, a phenomenon known as mesopredator release. Land use changes in the Eastern Cape of South Africa have caused extensive degradation and fragmentation of the Subtropical Thicket Biome. In addition, coupled with anthropogenic persecution, apex predators including lions ( Panthera leo ), leopards ( P. pardus ), and brown hyaenas ( Hyaena brunnea ) have been extirpated from large areas of their historic range. Removal of these apex predators may provide opportunity for mesopredators, such as black-backed jackals ( Canis mesomelas ) and caracals ( Caracal caracal ), to be released from top-down forcing and possibly initiate trophic cascade effects. Therefore, using randomly distributed camera traps, my study aimed to explore the quality and quantity of data collected by different camera trap designs, and to investigate the mesopredator release hypothesis in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
    [Show full text]