Microcystins and anatoxin-a in Arctic biocrust cyanobacterial communities.
In the polar regions cyanobacteria are an important element of plant communities and represent the dominant group of primary producers. They commonly form thick highly diverse biological soil crusts that provide microhabitats for other organisms. Cyanobacteria are also producers of toxic secondary metabolites. In the present study we demonstrated that biocrust-forming cyanobacteria inhabiting the Kaffiøyra Plain, the north-west coast of Spitsbergen, are able to synthesize toxins, especially microcystins (MCs, from 0.123 to 11.058 μg MC-LR per g dry weight, DW) and anatoxin-a (ANTX-a, from 0.322 to 0.633 μg ANTX-a per g DW). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the presence of ANTX-a in the entire polar region. The occurrence of cyanotoxins can exert a long-term impact on organisms co-existing in biocrust communities and can have far-reaching consequences for the entire polar ecosystem.
Department of Plant Physiology and Development, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 27, 31-501 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: ewelina.chrapusta@uj.edu.pl.
Ewelina
E
Chrapusta
Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 27, 31-501 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: michal.wegrzyn@uj.edu.pl.
Michał
M
Węgrzyn
Department of Plant Physiology and Development, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: kornelia.zabaglo@uj.edu.pl.
Kornelia
K
Zabaglo
Department of Plant Physiology and Development, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: ariel.kaminski@uj.edu.pl.
Ariel
A
Kaminski
Department of Plant Physiology and Development, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: michal.adamski@uj.edu.pl.
Michal
M
Adamski
Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 27, 31-501 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: paulina.wietrzyk@doctoral.uj.edu.pl.
Paulina
P
Wietrzyk
Department of Plant Physiology and Development, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: j.bialczyk@uj.edu.pl.
Jan
J
Bialczyk
D001110:Arctic Regions; D018533:Biomass; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000087522:Cyanobacteria Toxins; D017753:Ecosystem; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology; D052998:Microcystins / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D014326:Tropanes / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
D000087522:Cyanobacteria Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D014326:Tropanes; C078588:microcystin; C509783:anatoxin a
Biological soil crusts; Cyanotoxins; Kaffiøyra; Polar terrestrial ecosystem; Svalbard