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Functional effects of Polysiphonia sp. epiphytism on the farmed Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Liao: Competition for the resource, parasitism or both?

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Abstract

Seaweed farming for the production of carrageenan is a growing economic activity. Like everywhere in the marine environment, farmed algae such as Kappaphycus alvarezii can host algal organisms as epiphytes. Epiphytes ensure important functions in natural ecosystems, but these organisms can have negative impacts on their hosts and, in aquaculture be considered a plague responsible for significant economic losses. The mechanisms by which epiphytes act functionally on their hosts are multiple: shading effects, competition for nutrients or parasitism. Parasitism is characterised by the epiphyte diverting a proportion of the host’s resources. The objective of our work was to assess the impact of the epiphyte Polysiphonia sp. on the N and C acquisition of its farmed host K. alvarezii using two isotopic experiments with 13C and 15N as tracers. Our results demonstrated a double cumulative action: epiphytes could be capable of quickly outcompeting their hosts in terms of nutrient acquisition because of their better efficiency in C and N uptake, while also functionally qualifying as true parasites, as they divert some of the N resources acquired by their host. In terms of biocontrol, we suggest that the choice of nutrient-rich areas to practice Kappaphycus farming is likely to favour the epiphytes rather than their hosts, considering their relative needs and abilities to incorporate nutrients.

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Data availability

Experimental data are available upon request by e-mailing G.Lepoint@uliege.be.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Fisheries and Marine Science Institute (IH.SM., University of Toliara, Madagascar) for access to their aquarium facilities, lab and logistical resources. The authors thank the local seaweed farmers of Sorodrano village for providing the biological material used in the experiments. G.L. is a senior researcher at the National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S. -FNRS, Belgium).

Funding

This study was funded by the project ‘Développement de la polyaquaculture dans les villages côtiers du sud-ouest et de nord de Madagascar’ and financed by universitary cooperation for the development of the Wallonia Brussel community (ARES-CCD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Trophic and Isotope Ecology, FOCUS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    Gilles Lepoint & Mélanie Deydier

  2. Polyaquaculture Research Unit, Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines (IH.SM), University of Toliara, Toliara, Madagascar

    Gaëtan Tsiresy

  3. Institut Supérieur de Technologie Régional de La Côte-Est (ISTRCE), Fénérive-Est, University of Toamasina, Toamasina, Madagascar

    Gaëtan Tsiresy

  4. Ocean Farmers, Toliara, Madagascar

    Frédéric Pascal

  5. Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology, FOCUS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    Bruno Frédérich

  6. Marine Biology and Biomimetics, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium

    Igor Eeckhaut

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  1. Gilles Lepoint
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  2. Gaëtan Tsiresy
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  4. Frédéric Pascal
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  6. Igor Eeckhaut
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Contributions

G.L., G.T. and I.E. contributed to the study’s conception and design. Experiments were conducted by G.L., G.T. and B.F. Biological material was provided by F.P. Material preparation and analyses were performed by M.D., G.T. and G.L. The first draft of the manuscript was written by G.L., and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Financial resources were secured by I.E. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Gilles Lepoint.

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Gilles Lepoint and Gaëtan Tsiresy these two authors contributed equally as co-first authors.

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Lepoint, G., Tsiresy, G., Deydier, M. et al. Functional effects of Polysiphonia sp. epiphytism on the farmed Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Liao: Competition for the resource, parasitism or both?. J Appl Phycol 35, 1821–1830 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-023-03009-9

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