Factors Affecting the Mixotrophic Flagellate Poterioochromonas malhamensis Grazing on Chlorella Cells

Grazing behaviour between protozoa and phytoplankton exists widely in planktonic ecosystems. Poterioochromonas malhamensis is a well‐known and widespread mixotrophic flagellate, which is recognized to play an important role within marine and freshwater planktonic ecosystems and regarded as the great...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology 2020-03, Vol.67 (2), p.190-202
Main Authors: Wei, Chaojun, Wang, Hongxia, Ma, Mingyang, Hu, Qiang, Gong, Yingchun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
C/N
Carbohydrates
Carbon/nitrogen ratio
Cell Wall - physiology
cell wall thickness
Cell walls
Chlorella
Chlorella - physiology
Chrysophyta - physiology
Contamination
Diet
Ecosystems
Feeding
feeding selectivity
Food Chain
Freshwater
Freshwater ecosystems
Grazing
Growth rate
Inland water environment
Lipids
Marine ecosystems
Microalgae - physiology
Microalgae culture
Microbiological strains
Morphology
Phytoplankton
Population Dynamics
Population studies
predation
Protozoa
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Summary:Grazing behaviour between protozoa and phytoplankton exists widely in planktonic ecosystems. Poterioochromonas malhamensis is a well‐known and widespread mixotrophic flagellate, which is recognized to play an important role within marine and freshwater planktonic ecosystems and regarded as the greatest contamination threat for mass algal cultures of Chlorella. In this study, a comprehensive range of factors, including morphological characters, biochemical compositions, and specific growth rate of ten species or strains of Chlorella, were evaluated for their effect on the feeding ability of P. malhamensis, which was assessed by two parameters: the clearance rate of P. malhamensis on Chlorella spp. and the specific growth rate of P. malhamensis. The results showed that the clearance rate of P. malhamensis was negatively correlated with cell wall thickness and specific growth rate of Chlorella spp., while the specific growth rate of P. malhamensis was positively correlated with carbohydrate percentage and C/N ratio and negatively correlated with protein, lipid percentage, and nitrogen mass. In conclusion, the factors influencing feeding selectivity include not only the morphological character and chemical composition of Chlorella, but also its population dynamics. Our study provides useful insights into the key factors that affect the feeding selectivity of P. malhamensis and provides basic and constructive data to help in screening for grazing‐resistant microalgae.
ISSN:1066-5234
1550-7408
DOI:10.1111/jeu.12770