Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jan;33(1):213-7.
doi: 10.1007/s10886-006-9212-y. Epub 2006 Oct 25.

Chemical deterrence of a cyanobacterial metabolite against generalized and specialized grazers

Affiliations

Chemical deterrence of a cyanobacterial metabolite against generalized and specialized grazers

Edwin Cruz-Rivera et al. J Chem Ecol. 2007 Jan.

Abstract

Pitipeptolide A is the major secondary metabolite in a persistent population of the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula from Guam. Because this cyanobacterium is of low preference to many sympatric consumers, we tested the hypothesis that this compound acted as a chemical defense. Pitipeptolide A was deterrent to urchins, two species of amphipods, and small herbivorous crabs, whereas it did not deter feeding by the sea hare Stylocheilus striatus, which readily consumes cyanobacteria. Although our comparison included various small invertebrates, which are often tolerant to algal chemical defenses, this cyanobacterial compound proved deterrent at natural concentrations to all but one of the consumer species tested. Thus, the production of defensive secondary metabolites is likely related to the common occurrence of L. majuscula on this coral reef despite the abundance of diverse grazers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. J Nat Prod. 2001 Mar;64(3):304-7 - PubMed
    1. J Chem Ecol. 2005 Jul;31(7):1595-606 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources