''Moorea producens'' is a species of

filamentous cyanobacteria Cyanobacterial morphology refers to the form or shape of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are a large and diverse phylum of bacteria defined by their unique combination of pigments and their ability to perform oxygenic photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria ...

in the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

'' Moorea'', including tropical marine strains formerly classified as ''

Lyngbya majuscula ''Lyngbya majuscula'' is a species of filamentous cyanobacteria in the genus '' Lyngbya''. It is named after the Dane Hans Christian Lyngbye. As a result of recent genetic analyses, several new genera were erected from the genus ''Lyngbya'': ...

'' due to morphological resemblance but separated based on genetic evidence. ''Moorea producens'' grows on seagrass and is one of the causes of the human skin irritation

seaweed dermatitis ''Lyngbya majuscula'' is a species of filamentous cyanobacteria in the genus '' Lyngbya''. It is named after the Dane Hans Christian Lyngbye. As a result of recent genetic analyses, several new genera were erected from the genus ''Lyngbya'': ...

. It is known as fireweed in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and stinging limu in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Taxonomy

''Moorea producens'' was first described in 2012, but the name was not validly published. It was redescribed in 2019 validly with the authority Eugene and Tronholm.

Description

The prevalence of this organism appears to be on the increase due to

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

and

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

. Nutrients such as nitrogen and human waste flow to the ocean due to rain and sewage runoff; these added nutrients increase the population of microbes, which in turn remove

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

from the water. Reduced numbers of fish to eat the microbes further enhances the microbe populations.

Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...

are evolutionarily optimized for environmental conditions of low oxygen. ''M. producta'' is non-diazotrophic. ''M. producens'' is known for its toxicity, producing

Lyngbyatoxin-a Lyngbyatoxin-a is a type of alkaloid cyanotoxin produced by certain cyanobacteria species, most notably '' Moorea producens'' (formerly classified as ''Lyngbya majuscula''). It is produced as defense mechanism to ward off any would-be predators of ...

and other "antifungal and cytotoxic agents, including laxaphycin A and B and curacin A." A major outbreak occurred in Darwin Harbour in May- June 2010.

Taxonomy

Description

References

Further reading