Becker, Susanne, Walter, Bettina and Bischof, Kai (2009) Freezing tolerance and photosynthetic performance of polar seaweeds at low temperatures. Botanica Marina, 52 (6). DOI https://doi.org/10.1515/BOT.2009.079.

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Abstract

Organisms populating benthic shallow water systems of both polar regions are adapted to a particularly harsh environment. We studied effects of freezing and the combination of high light intensities and low water temperatures on photosynthesis of key macroalgal species from the Arctic intertidal (Fucus distichus) and Antarctic subtidal (Palmaria decipiens). Photosynthetic activity of F. distichus specimens was monitored during the freezing process; there was a marked decrease in quantum yield with decreasing temperatures, and a rapid recovery as soon as temperatures increased again. Thus, under the experimental conditions tested, no indication of photodamage was found. Specimens of Palmaria were exposed to a combination of high light intensities and low water temperatures. A persistent impairment of photosynthetic activity occurred at 0°C at light intensities of 400 μmol photons m-2 s-1. In all treatments, there was a decreasing ratio of phycobiliproteins to chlorophyll a. Overall, the two studies provide baseline data for interpreting physiological responses of two important macroalgal species in an extreme environment, the polar coastal ecosystem.

Document Type:	Article
Programme Area:	UNSPECIFIED
Research affiliation:	Ecology > Algae and Seagrass Ecology
Refereed:	Yes
Open Access Journal?:	No
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1515/BOT.2009.079
ISSN:	0006-8055
Date Deposited:	24 Feb 2020 12:40
Last Modified:	26 Mar 2024 13:30
URI:	http://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/3380

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