Abstract
Synthetic Ecology is a novel concept describing the design of de novo ecological communities for a designated purpose. This study is a proof of concept for harnessing Synthetic Ecology in expanding the scale of commercially relevant micro algae (Chlorella vulgaris) cultivation using stable Synthetic Ecologies in open environments as opposed to vulnerable monocultures. We focused on whether the grazing activity of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) would result in a consistent, and commercially favourable, dominance of Chlorella in cultures that were also inoculated with a competing and potentially invasive cyanobacteria (Synechocystis sp. PCC6803). The key result of this study was that in axenic mixed species co-cultures, zebra mussels had a significantly greater negative effect on Synechocystis cell numbers than Chlorella (P < 0.0001). The zebra mussels’ putative preference for Synechocystis over Chlorella suggests they could be used to maintain the dominance of Chlorella in outdoor cultivation systems prone to contamination by invasive cyanobacteria.
Highlights
Synthetic Ecology is a novel concept describing the design of de novo ecological communities for a designated purpose
The aim of our study was to investigate a proof of concept for the emerging field of Synthetic Ecology, studying the ability of filter feeding zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) to drive and stabilise a shift in a de novo algal community to enable the proliferation of an algal species of commercial interest (Chlorella vulgaris)
The presence of mussels resulted in a significant decline in the number of cells for both species in all treatment conditions when compared to treatments in the absence of mussels (Chlorella (Z Value −7.8, P < 0.0001); Synechocystis (Z Value −7.1, P < 0.0001)) (Table 1; Table 2; Fig. 1)
Summary
Synthetic Ecology is a novel concept describing the design of de novo ecological communities for a designated purpose. Through characterising the hierarchy of ecological interactions in a desired model system, a de novo system could theoretically be created through the artificial combination of nutrients and deliberately designed synthetic communities of organisms. This technique could be used to design systems which provide beneficial ecosystem services while behaving as self-regulating climax communities resilient to biological invasion. The aim of our study was to investigate a proof of concept for the emerging field of Synthetic Ecology, studying the ability of filter feeding zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) to drive and stabilise a shift in a de novo algal community to enable the proliferation of an algal species of commercial interest (Chlorella vulgaris). Raikow et al (2004) noted a positive relationship between zebra mussels and Microcystis www.nature.com/scientificreports/
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