Acclimation of a rocky shore algal reef builder Neogoniolithon sp. to changing illuminations

Shany Gefen-Treves, Isaac Kedem, Gad Weiss, Dirk Wagner, Dan Tchernov, Aaron Kaplan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Vermetid reefs and rocky shores are hot spots of biodiversity, often referred to as the subtropical equivalent of coral reefs. The development of the ecosystem depends on the activity of several reef builders, including red crustose coralline algae (CCA) such as Neogoniolithon brassica-florida. Despite its importance, little is known about Neogoniolithon sp. acclimation to rapid changes in light intensity and corresponding photosynthetic activity. To overcome the large spatial variability in the light field (due to location and the porous nature of the rocks) we grew Neogoniolithon sp. on glass slides and characterized its photosynthetic performance in response to various light intensities by following O2 exchange and fluorescence parameters. This was also performed on rock-inhabiting thalli collected from the east Mediterranean basin. Generally, maximal photosynthetic rate was reached when Neogoniolithon sp. thalli grown under low illumination (such as in protected niches where the light intensity can be as low as 1% of surface illumination) were examined. When exposed to light intensities higher than those experienced during growth, Neogoniolithon sp. activates adaptive/protective mechanisms such as state transition and nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching and increases the dark respiration thereafter. We find that the Fv/Fm parameter (variable/maximal fluorescence) is not suitable to assess photosynthetic performance in Neogoniolithon sp. and propose using instead an alternative parameter recently developed. Our findings help to clarify why Neogoniolithon sp. is usually observed in shaded niches along the reef surfaces.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)27-36
Number of pages10
JournalLimnology and Oceanography
Volume65
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology, (MOST) and Israel-USA Binational Agricultural Research and Development fund (BARD). S.G.-T. was kindly supported by the "Levi-Eshkol" fellowship from Israeli Ministry of Science and the advanced school for environmental studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. The authors thank Maoz Fine for species identification and helpful discussions. They further thank Hagai Raanan, Tamar Guy-Haim, and Haim Treves for constructive discussions, and Hanan Schoffman for his advice and technical assistance in fluorescence measurements. Finally, the authors are grateful to the electrical and mechanical workshops of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for the construction of the growth tanks, metabolic cell, and tailored light sources for growth and experimental setups.

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology, (MOST) and Israel‐USA Binational Agricultural Research and Development fund (BARD). S.G.‐T. was kindly supported by the "Levi‐Eshkol" fellowship from Israeli Ministry of Science and the advanced school for environmental studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. The authors thank Maoz Fine for species identification and helpful discussions. They further thank Hagai Raanan, Tamar Guy‐Haim, and Haim Treves for constructive discussions, and Hanan Schoffman for his advice and technical assistance in fluorescence measurements. Finally, the authors are grateful to the electrical and mechanical workshops of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for the construction of the growth tanks, metabolic cell, and tailored light sources for growth and experimental setups.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oceanography
  • Aquatic Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Acclimation of a rocky shore algal reef builder Neogoniolithon sp. to changing illuminations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this