Combined Effects of Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment on Palatability of the Brown Alga Sargassum yezoense (Yamada) Yoshida & T. Konno
Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=53668#.VM8r5CzQrzE Author(s) Hikaru Endo , Kentaro Suehiro , Junji Kinoshita , Yukio Agatsuma Affiliation(s) Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan . ABSTRACT Global warming is predicted to strengthen marine plant-herbivore interactions. However, little is known about the effect of temperature on palatability and the associated chemical composition of marine macroalgae. To study the effects of physiological stress caused by the warm water temperatures and nutrient-poor conditions that occur during summer, we cultured the brown alga Sargassum yezoense at three different temperatures (16°C, 22°C, and 28°C) in both nutrient-enriched and non-enriched media. We then compared phlorotannin (i.e., defensive compounds) and nitrogen concentrations of S. yezoense as well as consumption rate by the sea urchin Hemicetrotus pulcherri...