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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 56(4)

Extracellular phosphatase activity of freshwater phytoplankton exposed to different in situ phosphorus concentrations

A. Štrojsová A B C , J. Vrba A B , J. Nedoma B and K. Šimek A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

B Hydrobiological Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Sádkách 7, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

C Corresponding author. Email: alena.strojsova@seznam.cz

Marine and Freshwater Research 56(4) 417-424 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF04283
Submitted: 25 November 2004  Accepted: 8 March 2005   Published: 27 June 2005

Abstract

Extracellular phosphatase production and biomass change were investigated in phytoplankton species transplanted from the phosphorus-limited dam area of a eutrophic reservoir and exposed to the phosphorus-sufficient inflow part and vice versa. Extracellular phosphatase activity was studied using the enzyme-labelled fluorescence (ELF) technique, allowing for direct microscopic detection of enzyme activity and, moreover, its quantification using image cytometry. Several phytoplankton species (e.g. Anabaena planctonica, Microcystis aeruginosa, Fragilaria crotonensis, Ankyra ancora and Planktosphaeria gelatinosa) regulated phosphatase activity according to external phosphorus concentration. On the contrary, picocyanobacteria and several green algae (Coelastrum microporum, Crucigeniella sp., Pediastrum tetras, and Staurastrum planctonicum) did not produce extracellular phosphatases at all. The species-specific extracellular phosphatase activity of F. crotonensis, A. ancora, and P. gelatinosa ranged between 0.02 and 3.5 fmol μm−2 h−1.

Extra keywords: Ankyra ancora, ectoenzyme, ELF97 phosphate, Fragilaria crotonensis, image analysis, Microcystis aeruginosa, species-specific activity.


Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (research grant A 206/02/0003, awarded to K. Šimek), the Grant Agency of the ASCR (A 6017202, awarded to J. Vrba) and the Ministry of Education (FRVS G4 1841, awarded to A. Štrojsová). We gratefully acknowledge M. Mašín, J. Jezbera and K. Horňák for assistance with experimental sampling in the reservoir and V. Hejzlarová, J. Kroupová and K. Murtinger for chemical analysis. We thank M. Štojdlová, S. Smrčková and R. Malá for laboratory assistance. P. Znachor made valuable comments on an earlier version of the paper.


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