Rates Of Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation Research Articles

Warming and UV Radiation Alleviate the Effect of Virus Infection on the Microalga Emiliania huxleyi.

The marine microalga Emiliania huxleyi is widely distributed in the surface oceans and is prone to infection by coccolithoviruses that can terminate its blooms. However, little is known about how global change factors like solar UV radiation (UVR) and ocean warming affect the host-virus interaction. We grew the microalga at 2 temperature levels with or without the virus in the presence or absence of UVR and investigated the physiological and transcriptional responses. We showed that viral infection noticeably reduced photosynthesis and growth of the alga but was less harmful to its physiology under conditions where UVR influenced viral DNA expression. In the virus-infected cells, the combination of UVR and warming (+4°C) led to a 13-fold increase in photosynthetic carbon fixation rate, with warming alone contributing a change of about 5-7-fold. This was attributed to upregulated expression of genes related to carboxylation and light-harvesting proteins under the influence of UVR, and to warming-reduced infectivity. In the absence of UVR, viral infection downregulated the metabolic pathways of photosynthesis and fatty acid degradation. Our results suggest that solar UV exposure in a warming ocean can reduce the severity of viral attack on this ecologically important microalga, potentially prolonging its blooms.

Greenness of moss biocrusts derived from RGB image is a reliable indicator to estimate biocrust carbon-fixation rates in drylands

Biocrusts are common living covers found across drylands worldwide, and their photosynthesis substantially contributes to carbon input in these ecosystems. However, direct monitoring of biocrusts’ photosynthetic carbon fixation is challenging due to their scattered distribution, dark pigments, and lower CO2 exchange rate. Current studies have limited monitoring frequency and the results are difficult to extend to a broader spatial scale. Greenness typically functions as an indicator of both vegetation cover and plant photosynthesis. Monitoring biocrust greenness is expected to be able to provide insights into their environmental responses and estimate carbon fixation rates, particularly for moss biocrusts. Here, we monitored greenness, soil moisture and temperature, and gross primary productivity (GPP) of moss biocrusts, as well as climatic factors over two years in the northern China’s Loess Plateau. The results indicated that moss biocrust greenness was highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions and exhibited significant temporal variability. Moss biocrust greenness exhibited a notably higher value in wet season (0.384) than in dry season (0.259). According to these greenness values, we proposed moss biocrust activity and classified it into high (>0.403), medium (0.334–0.403), low (0.271–0.333), and dormancy (<0.270). Soil moisture, relative humidity, and wind speed were the three main determinates of moss biocrust greenness. Higher soil moisture and relative humidity were linked to increased greenness, whereas elevated wind speed led to a reduction. In dry seasons, soil moisture contributed 23.4 % to the variation in moss biocrust greenness, while in wet seasons relative humidity contributed 16.1 %. A significant and positive correlation between moss biocrust greenness and GPP was found, and annual GPP prediction based on greenness using machine learning performed well. Our study highlights the significance of moss biocrust greenness and their potential as indicators for moss biocrust photosynthetic carbon fixation rates and possibly other ecological functions in drylands.

Photoinhibition of the Picophytoplankter Synechococcus Is Exacerbated by Ocean Acidification

The marine picocyanobacterium Synechococcus accounts for a major fraction of the primary production across the global oceans. However, knowledge of the responses of Synechococcus to changing pCO2 and light levels has been scarcely documented. Hence, we grew Synechococcus sp. CB0101 at two CO2 concentrations (ambient CO2 AC:410 μatm; high CO2 HC:1000 μatm) under various light levels between 25 and 800 μmol photons m−2 s−1 for 10–20 generations and found that the growth of Synechococcus strain CB0101 is strongly influenced by light intensity, peaking at 250 μmol m−2 s−1 and thereafter declined at higher light levels. Synechococcus cells showed a range of acclimation in their photophysiological characteristics, including changes in pigment content, optical absorption cross section, and light harvesting efficiency. Elevated pCO2 inhibited the growth of cells at light intensities close to or greater than saturation, with inhibition being greater under high light. Elevated pCO2 also reduced photosynthetic carbon fixation rates under high light but had smaller effects on the decrease in quantum yield and maximum relative electron transport rates observed under increasing light intensity. At the same time, the elevated pCO2 significantly decreased particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON), particularly under low light. Ocean acidification, by increasing the inhibitory effects of high light, may affect the growth and competitiveness of Synechococcus in surface waters in the future scenario.

Red light promotes autotrophic growth of Haematococcus pluvialis with improved carbonic anhydrase activity and CO2 utilization

This study focused on the green vegetative growth stage of Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis), investigating the effect of red light on carbon dioxide utilization and biomass accumulation of algal cells. Under the proper conditions of photosynthetic autotrophy, the biomass could be increased by about 50% after switching from white light to red light. Interestingly, it was found that red light could promote the algal cells into higher photosystem II (PSII) activity increasing the gene expressions of carbonic anhydrases (CAH1 and CAH3), Myb transcription factor LCR1 (Lcr1), and Rubisco (rbcL) proteins. Further investigation revealed that the genes related to photoreceptor interaction factors (COP1, SPA1) and photosynthetic light capture protein (LHCA2) were also up-regulated, suggesting that red light promoted carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity by regulating the COP1/SPA1 complex to maintain the pH stability and enhance the photosynthetic carbon fixation rate.

Combined Influences of Light and Nitrogen Enrichment on the Physiological Performance of a Golden Tide Alga (Sargassum horneri)

Sargassum golden tides (GT) are common in numerous coastal areas all over the world, and it adversely affects local marine life. Eutrophication is critical for Sargassum GT development. However, its physiological and ecological mechanism remains unclear. To investigate the responses of drifting Sargassum horneri, the species causing GT in the western Pacific, to light and enriched nitrogen, we set three light conditions (Low-light (LL), 10 μmol photons m−2 s−1; Middle-light (ML), 60 μmol photons m−2 s−1; and High-light (HL), 300 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and three nitrogen conditions (Natural seawater, the final concentration of N was 31.8 μmol L−1, including 30.5 μmol L−1 of NO3− and 1.3 μmol L−1 of NH4+; Enrichment of NO3−, final concentration of N was 200 μmol L−1; and Enrichment of NH4+, the final concentration of N was 200 μmol L−1), and grew the thalli under varying conditions for 10 days before determining the growth and utilization of carbon and nitrogen. Based on the accumulated data, the elevated light level led to a higher growth rate of alga. In the LL culture, the higher capacity for carbon utilization, which was reflected by the higher maximum photosynthetic carbon fixation rate (Vmax), resulted in the elevated growth rates of thalli in the nitrogen-enriched media as compared with the natural seawater. Furthermore, a higher growth rate was found in the enrichment of NH4+ despite a low affinity for inorganic carbon indicated by a higher value of the half-saturation constant (K0.5). In the ML treatment, an insignificant difference in growth rate was found in three nitrogen cultures, except for a slight increase in the enrichment of NH4+ than the enrichment of NO3−. In the HL treatment, compared with natural seawater culture, enrichment of NO3− or NH4+ accelerated the growth of alga, with no significant difference between the two nitrogen sources. Such enhancement in growth was related to the more photosynthetic carbon fixation, indicated by the higher value of Vmax and soluble carbohydrates content of alga cultured with NO3− and NH4+ enrichments. Additionally, the uptake and assimilation products of nitrogen, such as pigments and soluble proteins, remained unaffected by nitrogen source enrichment of NO3− or NH4+ at all three light levels. In conclusion, enrichment of NO3− and NH4+ exhibited different influences on the growth of S. horneri at different light levels, which was mainly associated with the capacity and efficiency of photosynthetic carbon utilization. At the HL level, both the enrichment of NO3− and NH4+ dramatically accelerate the growth of alga by stimulating the photosynthetic carbon fixation. Accordingly, we speculated that drifting S. horneri, exposed to HL level on the surface of the sea, were likely to develop rapidly to form GT in eutrophic oceanic areas with upwelled and river plume NO3− or NH4+ nutrients.

Elevated pCO2 Induced Physiological, Molecular and Metabolic Changes in Nannochloropsis Oceanica and Its Effects on Trophic Transfer

The rise of dissolution of anthropogenic CO2 into the ocean alters marine carbonate chemistry and then results in ocean acidification (OA). It has been observed that OA induced different effects on different microalgae. In this study, we explored the physiological and biochemical changes in Nannochloropsis oceanica in response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and tested the effect of ocean acidification (OA) on the food web through animal feeding experiments at a laboratory scale. We found that the levels of C, N, C/N, Fv/Fm, and photosynthetic carbon fixation rate of algae cells were increased under high carbon dioxide concentration. Under short-term acidification, soluble carbohydrate, protein, and proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in cells were significantly increased. Under long-term acidification, the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (~33.83%) increased compared with that in control (~30.89%), but total protein decreased significantly compared with the control. Transcriptome and metabonomics analysis showed that the differential expression of genes in some metabolic pathways was not significant in short-term acidification, but most genes in the Calvin cycle were significantly downregulated. Under long-term acidification, the Calvin cycle, fatty acid biosynthesis, TAG synthesis, and nitrogen assimilation pathways were significantly downregulated, but the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway was significantly upregulated. Metabolome results showed that under long-term acidification, the levels of some amino acids increased significantly, while carbohydrates decreased, and the proportion of PUFAs increased. The rotifer Brachionus plicatilis grew slowly when fed on N. oceanica grown under short and long-term acidification conditions, and fatty acid profile analysis indicated that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels increased significantly under long-term acidification in both N. oceanica (~9.48%) and its consumer B. Plicatilis (~27.67%). It can be seen that N. oceanica formed a specific adaptation mechanism to OA by regulating carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and at the same time caused changes of cellular metabolic components. Although PUFAs were increased, they still had adverse effects on downstream consumers.

Photosynthesis and calcification of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi are more sensitive to changed levels of light and CO2 under nutrient limitation

Photophysiological responses of phytoplankton to changing multiple environmental drivers are essential in understanding and predicting ecological consequences of ocean climate changes. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of two CO2 levels (410 and 925 μatm) and five light intensities (80 to 480 μmol photons m−2 s−1) on cellular pigments contents, photosynthesis and calcification of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi grown under nutrient replete and limited conditions, respectively. Our results showed that high light intensity, high CO2 level and nitrate limitation acted synergistically to reduce cellular chlorophyll a and carotenoid contents. Nitrate limitation predominantly enhanced calcification rate; phosphate limitation predominantly reduced photosynthetic carbon fixation rate, with larger extent of the reduction under higher levels of CO2 and light. Reduced availability of both nitrate and phosphate under the elevated CO2 concentration decreased saturating light levels for the cells to achieve the maximal relative electron transport rate (rETRmax). Light-saturating levels for rETRmax were lower than that for photosynthetic and calcification rates under the nutrient limitation. Regardless of the culture conditions, rETR under growth light levels correlated linearly and positively with measured photosynthetic and calcification rates. Our findings imply that E. huxleyi cells acclimated to macro-nutrient limitation and elevated CO2 concentration decreased their light requirement to achieve the maximal electron transport, photosynthetic and calcification rates, indicating a photophysiological strategy to cope with CO2 rise/pH drop in shoaled upper mixing layer above the thermocline where the microalgal cells are exposed to increased levels of light and decreased levels of nutrients.

The influence of stomatal morphology and distribution on photosynthetic gas exchange.

SummaryThe intricate and interconnecting reactions of C3 photosynthesis are often limited by one of two fundamental processes: the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy, or the diffusion of CO2 from the atmosphere through the stomata, and ultimately into the chloroplast. In this review, we explore how the contributions of stomatal morphology and distribution can affect photosynthesis, through changes in gaseous exchange. The factors driving this relationship are considered, and recent results from studies investigating the effects of stomatal shape, size, density and patterning on photosynthesis are discussed. We suggest that the interplay between stomatal gaseous exchange and photosynthesis is complex, and that a disconnect often exists between the rates of CO2 diffusion and photosynthetic carbon fixation. The mechanisms that allow for substantial reductions in maximum stomatal conductance without affecting photosynthesis are highly dependent on environmental factors, such as light intensity, and could be exploited to improve crop performance.

Physiological responses of a coccolithophore to multiple environmental drivers

Ocean acidification is known to affect primary producers differentially in terms of species and environmental conditions, with controversial results obtained under different experimental setups. In this work we examined the physiological performances of the coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica that had been acclimated to 1000 μatm CO2 for ~400 generations, and then exposed to multiple drivers, light intensity, light fluctuating frequency, temperature and UV radiation. Here, we show that increasing light intensity resulted in higher non-photochemical quenching and the effective absorption cross-section of PSII. The effective photochemical efficiency (Fv′/Fm′) decreased with increased levels of light, which was counterbalanced by fluctuating light regimes. The greenhouse condition acts synergistically with decreasing fluctuating light frequency to increase the Fv′/Fm′ and photosynthetic carbon fixation rate. Our data suggest that the coccolithophorid would be more stressed with increased exposures to solar UV irradiances, though its photosynthetic carbon fixation could be enhanced under the greenhouse condition.

The physiological response of marine diatoms to ocean acidification: differential roles of seawater pCO2 and pH.

Although increasing the pCO2 for diatoms will presumably down-regulate the CO2 -concentrating mechanism (CCM) to save energy for growth, different species have been reported to respond differently to ocean acidification (OA). To better understand their growth responses to OA, we acclimated the diatoms Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Chaetoceros muelleri to ambient (pCO2 400μatm, pH 8.1), carbonated (pCO2 800μatm, pH 8.1), acidified (pCO2 400μatm, pH 7.8), and OA (pCO2 800μatm, pH 7.8) conditions and investigated how seawater pCO2 and pH affect their CCMs, photosynthesis, and respiration both individually and jointly. In all three diatoms, carbonation down-regulated the CCMs, while acidification increased both the photosynthetic carbon fixation rate and the fraction of CO2 as the inorganic carbon source. The positive OA effect on photosynthetic carbon fixation was more pronounced in C.muelleri, which had a relatively lower photosynthetic affinity for CO2 , than in either T.pseudonana or P.tricornutum. In response to OA, T.pseudonana increased respiration for active disposal of H+ to maintain its intracellular pH, whereas P.tricornutum and C.muelleri retained their respiration rate but lowered the intracellular pH to maintain the cross-membrane electrochemical gradient for H+ efflux. As the net result of changes in photosynthesis and respiration, growth enhancement to OA of the three diatoms followed the order of C.muelleri > P.tricornutum > T.pseudonana. This study demonstrates that elucidating the separate and joint impacts of increased pCO2 and decreased pH aids the mechanistic understanding of OA effects on diatoms in the future, acidified oceans.

Inorganic carbon and pH dependency of photosynthetic rates in Trichodesmium.

Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are leading to increases in dissolved CO2 and HCO3- concentrations and decreases in pH and CO32- in the world's oceans. There remain many uncertainties as to the magnitude of biological responses of key organisms to these chemical changes. In this study, we established the relationship between photosynthetic carbon fixation rates and pH, CO2, and HCO3- concentrations in the diazotroph, Trichodesmium erythraeum IMS101. Inorganic 14C-assimilation was measured in TRIS-buffered artificial seawater medium where the absolute and relative concentrations of CO2, pH, and HCO3- were manipulated. First, we varied the total dissolved inorganic carbon concentration (TIC) (<0 to ~5 mM) at constant pH, so that ratios of CO2 and HCO3- remained relatively constant. Second, we varied pH (~8.54 to 7.52) at constant TIC, so that CO2 increased whilst HCO3- declined. We found that 14C-assimilation could be described by the same function of CO2 for both approaches, but it showed different dependencies on HCO3- when pH was varied at constant TIC than when TIC was varied at constant pH. A numerical model of the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) of Trichodesmium showed that carboxylation rates are modulated by HCO3- and pH. The decrease in assimilation of inorganic carbon (Ci) at low CO2, when TIC was varied, was due to HCO3- uptake limitation of the carboxylation rate. Conversely, when pH was varied, Ci assimilation declined due to a high-pH mediated increase in HCO3- and CO2 leakage rates, potentially coupled to other processes (uncharacterised within the CCM model) that restrict Ci assimilation rates under high-pH conditions.

A Conceptual Model for Projecting Coccolithophorid Growth, Calcification and Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation Rates in Response to Global Ocean Change

Temperature, light and carbonate chemistry speciation all influence the growth, calcification and photosynthetic carbon fixation rates of coccolithophores to a similar degree. There have been multiple attempts to project the responses of coccolithophores to changes in carbonate chemistry, but the interaction with light and temperature remains elusive. Here we devise a simple conceptual model to derive a fit equation for coccolithophorid growth, photosynthetic carbon fixation and calcification rates in response to simultaneous changes in carbonate chemistry speciation, temperature and light conditions. The fit equation is able to account for up to 88% of the variability in measured metabolic rates. Equation projections indicate that temperature, light and carbonate chemistry speciation all have different modulating effects on both optimal growth conditions and the sensitivity of responses to extreme environmental conditions. Calculations suggest that a single extreme environmental condition (CO2, temperature, light) will reduce maximum rates regardless of how optimal the other environmental conditions may be. Thus, while the response of coccolithophores to ocean change depends on multiple variables, the one which is least optimal will have the most impact on overall rates. Finally, responses to ocean change are usually reported in terms of cellular rates. However, changes in cellular rates can be a poor predictor for assessing changes in production at the community level. We therefore introduce a new metric, the calcium carbonate production potential (CCPP), which combines the independent effects of changes in growth rate and cellular calcium carbonate content to assess how environmental changes will impact coccolith production. Direct comparison of CO2 impacts on cellular CaCO3 production rates and CCPP shows that while the former is still at 45% of its pre-industrial capacity at 1000 uatm, the latter is reduced to 10%.

Chlorophyll-fluorescence measurements in bryophytes: evidence for three main types of light-curve response

Diffusion theory predicts that, except in the lower part of the daylight range, carbon dioxide supply will always be limiting for photosynthesis in a unistratose leaf. We have used chlorophyll fluorometry to survey the photosynthetic responses of numerous bryophytes to a range of light intensities employing the ‘light curve’ approach. Initially, as light intensity is increased in a stepwise manner, electron transport rate (ETR) in bryophytes follows a saturation curve closely fitted by a negative exponential function, y = A(1 – e–kx), where y = ETR, x = light intensity (or photosynthetic photon flux density), A is the asymptote (ETR at infinitely high light intensity), k is a rate constant and e is the base of natural logarithms. The initial slope of the response curve, Ak, approximates maximum quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm) which is measured on dark-adapted plant material. However, at higher intensities ETR frequently veers away from the saturation curve owing to the onset of either photoinhibition or the dissipation of the excitation energy by a photoprotective mechanism, probably involving reduction of O2. In the latter case, the measurement of ETR significantly overestimates the rate of photosynthetic carbon fixation. We describe a simple approach that enables these instances of photoprotection and photoinhibition to be identified and discuss the wider significance of the results to the ecology of individual species.

Effects of ultraviolet radiation on photosynthetic performance and N&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; fixation in &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Trichodesmium erythraeum&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; IMS 101

Abstract. Biological effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR; 280–400 nm) on marine primary producers are of general concern, as oceanic carbon fixers that contribute to the marine biological CO2 pump are being exposed to increasing UV irradiance due to global change and ozone depletion. We investigated the effects of UV-B (280–320 nm) and UV-A (320–400 nm) on the biogeochemically critical filamentous marine N2-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium (strain IMS101) using a solar simulator as well as under natural solar radiation. Short exposure to UV-B, UV-A, or integrated total UVR significantly reduced the effective quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) and photosynthetic carbon and N2 fixation rates. Cells acclimated to low light were more sensitive to UV exposure compared to high-light-grown ones, which had more UV-absorbing compounds, most likely mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). After acclimation under natural sunlight, the specific growth rate was lower (by up to 44 %), MAA content was higher, and average trichome length was shorter (by up to 22 %) in the full spectrum of solar radiation with UVR, than under a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) alone treatment (400–700 nm). These results suggest that prior shipboard experiments in UV-opaque containers may have substantially overestimated in situ nitrogen fixation rates by Trichodesmium, and that natural and anthropogenic elevation of UV radiation intensity could significantly inhibit this vital source of new nitrogen to the current and future oligotrophic oceans.

Parameterization of natural phytoplankton photo‐physiology: Effects of cell size and nutrient concentration

AbstractEstimating phytoplankton primary productivity through non‐invasive photosystem II (PSII) photo‐physiology is desirable as a result of high throughput in situ assessment. However, interpretation of photo‐physiological parameters remains challenging where fundamental relationships between photosynthetic processes and carbon fixation rates need to be quantified. Photosynthetic rates vary across phytoplankton taxa, and in particular cell size constrains the efficiency of converting absorbed light into fixed carbon. This study therefore aimed to examine the relationships between phytoplankton community size and photo‐physiological parameters, including the functional absorption cross‐section for PSII at 452 nm (σPSII(452)) and the maximal (Fv/Fm) and effective ( ) PSII efficiencies, key to estimates of PSII primary productivity (so‐called electron transfer rates, ETRPSII). Data from meso‐oligotrophic waters in southeastern Brazil show that environmental factors did not explain patterns in the distribution of phytoplankton dominant community size at the temporal scale studied, however, the dominant size was responsible for the major variability of photo‐physiological parameters. was significantly higher for larger groups, while Fv/Fm was positively and σPSII(452) negatively correlated to the community size, although only significant when the communities were exposed to nutrient levels above the overall median conditions. This dependence is likely due to the high variability in nutrient availability inherent to this system, operating over scales of hours to days, precluding steady‐state growth of the phytoplankton community. This study proposes a novel dominant size‐based parameterization of an ETRPSII model for communities exposed to nutrients concentration above median values, and discusses ETRPSII as a tool to estimate primary production across highly hydrodynamic regions.

Photosynthetic contribution of UV-A to carbon fixation by macroalgae

:Previous studies showed that energy of ultraviolet light A (UV-A) (315–400 nm) could be used for photosynthesis by some macroalgae; however, little has been documented on the extent of such photosynthetic contribution among different macroalgal taxa. We selected 11 macroalgal species, representing red, brown and green phyla, and investigated their ability to utilize UV-A for photosynthesis. Our results showed that, in the absence of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), UV-A alone triggered photosynthetic carbon fixation rates in all the selected species. The gross photosynthetic rates of the tested macroalgae when exposed to UV-A ranged from 6.5 ± 0.3 to 52.3 ± 1.8 μmol C g (fresh weight)−1 h−1, with the highest rate found in the green alga Ulva lactuca Linnaeus. The ratio of gross photosynthesis driven by UV-A alone to that by saturating PAR varied from 14% to 22%. The present work demonstrated that macroalgae are capable of utilizing UV-A irradiance to drive photosynthetic carbon fixation, and this was consistent for all the species tested across green, red and brown algae.

Photosynthetic Performance of the Red Alga Pyropia haitanensis During Emersion, With Special Reference to Effects of Solar UV Radiation, Dehydration and Elevated CO2 Concentration

Macroalgae distributed in intertidal zones experience a series of environmental changes, such as periodical desiccation associated with tidal cycles, increasing CO2 concentration and solar UVB (280-315 nm) irradiance in the context of climate change. We investigated how the economic red macroalga, Pyropia haitanensis, perform its photosynthesis under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and in the presence of solar UV radiation (280-400 nm) during emersion. Our results showed that the elevated CO2 (800 ppmv) significantly increased the photosynthetic carbon fixation rate of P. haitanensis by about 100% when the alga was dehydrated. Solar UV radiation had insignificant effects on the net photosynthesis without desiccation stress and under low levels of sunlight, but significantly inhibited it with increased levels of desiccation and sunlight intensity, to the highest extent at the highest levels of water loss and solar radiation. Presence of UV radiation and the elevated CO2 acted synergistically to cause higher inhibition of the photosynthetic carbon fixation, which exacerbated at higher levels of desiccation and sunlight. While P. haitanensis can benefit from increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration during emersion under low and moderate levels of solar radiation, combined effects of elevated CO2 and UV radiation acted synergistically to reduce its photosynthesis under high solar radiation levels during noon periods.

Levels of daily light doses under changed day-night cycles regulate temporal segregation of photosynthesis and N2 Fixation in the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum IMS101.

While the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is known to display inverse diurnal performances of photosynthesis and N2 fixation, such a phenomenon has not been well documented under different day-night (L-D) cycles and different levels of light dose exposed to the cells. Here, we show differences in growth, N2 fixation and photosynthetic carbon fixation as well as photochemical performances of Trichodesmium IMS101 grown under 12L:12D, 8L:16D and 16L:8D L-D cycles at 70 μmol photons m-2 s-1 PAR (LL) and 350 μmol photons m-2 s-1 PAR (HL). The specific growth rate was the highest under LL and the lowest under HL under 16L:8D, and it increased under LL and decreased under HL with increased levels of daytime light doses exposed under the different light regimes, respectively. N2 fixation and photosynthetic carbon fixation were affected differentially by changes in the day-night regimes, with the former increasing directly under LL with increased daytime light doses and decreased under HL over growth-saturating light levels. Temporal segregation of N2 fixation from photosynthetic carbon fixation was evidenced under all day-night regimes, showing a time lag between the peak in N2 fixation and dip in carbon fixation. Elongation of light period led to higher N2 fixation rate under LL than under HL, while shortening the light exposure to 8 h delayed the N2 fixation peaking time (at the end of light period) and extended it to night period. Photosynthetic carbon fixation rates and transfer of light photons were always higher under HL than LL, regardless of the day-night cycles. Conclusively, diel performance of N2 fixation possesses functional plasticity, which was regulated by levels of light energy supplies either via changing light levels or length of light exposure.

Ocean acidification alters the photosynthetic responses of a coccolithophorid to fluctuating ultraviolet and visible radiation.

Mixing of seawater subjects phytoplankton to fluctuations in photosynthetically active radiation (400-700 nm) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR; 280-400 nm). These irradiance fluctuations are now superimposed upon ocean acidification and thinning of the upper mixing layer through stratification, which alters mixing regimes. Therefore, we examined the photosynthetic carbon fixation and photochemical performance of a coccolithophore, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, grown under high, future (1,000 μatm) and low, current (390 μatm) CO₂ levels, under regimes of fluctuating irradiances with or without UVR. Under both CO₂ levels, fluctuating irradiances, as compared with constant irradiance, led to lower nonphotochemical quenching and less UVR-induced inhibition of carbon fixation and photosystem II electron transport. The cells grown under high CO₂ showed a lower photosynthetic carbon fixation rate but lower nonphotochemical quenching and less ultraviolet B (280-315 nm)-induced inhibition. Ultraviolet A (315-400 nm) led to less enhancement of the photosynthetic carbon fixation in the high-CO₂-grown cells under fluctuating irradiance. Our data suggest that ocean acidification and fast mixing or fluctuation of solar radiation will act synergistically to lower carbon fixation by G. oceanica, although ocean acidification may decrease ultraviolet B-related photochemical inhibition.

Ocean acidification mediates photosynthetic response to UV radiation and temperature increase in the diatom &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Phaeodactylum tricornutum&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;

Abstract. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is responsible for progressive ocean acidification, ocean warming as well as decreased thickness of upper mixing layer (UML), thus exposing phytoplankton cells not only to lower pH and higher temperatures but also to higher levels of solar UV radiation. In order to evaluate the combined effects of ocean acidification, UV radiation and temperature, we used the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a model organism and examined its physiological performance after grown under two CO2 concentrations (390 and 1000 μatm) for more than 20 generations. Compared to the ambient CO2 level (390 μatm), growth at the elevated CO2 concentration increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of cells and partially counteracted the harm to PS II (photosystem II) caused by UV-A and UV-B. Such an effect was less pronounced under increased temperature levels. The ratio of repair to UV-B induced damage decreased with increased NPQ, reflecting induction of NPQ when repair dropped behind the damage, and it was higher under the ocean acidification condition, showing that the increased pCO2 and lowered pH counteracted UV-B induced harm. As for photosynthetic carbon fixation rate which increased with increasing temperature from 15 to 25 °C, the elevated CO2 and temperature levels synergistically interacted to reduce the inhibition caused by UV-B and thus increase the carbon fixation.