Quantification of Dissolved and Particulate Polyunsaturated Aldehydes in the Adriatic Sea

Marine Drugs

Charles Vidoudez¹  Raffaella Casotti³  Mauro Bastianini² 

[1] Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University, Lessingstr. 8, D-07743 Jena, Germany; E-Mail:;Istituto di Scienze Marine CNR, Castello 1364/a I30122 Venice, Italy; E-Mail:;Stazione Zoologica A. Dohrn, Villa Comunale I80121 Napoli, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: chemical defense;    aldehydes;    plankton interactions;    oxylipins;    heptadienal;   

DOI  :  10.3390/md9040500

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) are supposed to play critical roles in chemically-mediated plankton interactions. Laboratory studies suggest that they act as mediators of chemical defense and chemical communication. PUA are oxylipins containing an α,β,γ,δ–unsaturated aldehyde structure element and are mainly found in diatoms. We present here a detailed surface mapping of PUA during a spring bloom of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi in the Adriatic Sea. We monitored dissolved PUA, as well as particulate PUA, which are produced by phytoplankton after cell disintegration. Our survey revealed a patchy distribution of PUA and shows that at most stations S. marinoi is the major contributor to the overall PUA. Our data also suggest that lysis of a diatom bloom can contribute significantly to the dissolved PUA concentrations and that other producers, which are smaller in cell size compared to diatoms, have to be taken into account as well if the total PUA content of marine samples is considered. The analyses of samples collected in deeper water suggests that diatom contribution to PUA decreases with depth, while smaller-sized unidentified organisms take place as dominant contributors to the PUA concentrations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.