Abstract
Despite the plentiful diversity of macroalgae in coastal environments, few studies have examined the in vivo absorption features of common marine macrophytes. Here we report on results of a survey of 12 central California common intertidal and subtidal taxa, representing Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta carried out in the summer of 1988. Computer-assisted analyses were used to obtain fourth-derivative spectra from in vivo absorption spectra determined at room temperature to obtain spectral diagnostics for the different algal divisions and to provide a means to determine whether spectral features could be used to identify stress responses among these plants. Among the Chlorophyta, characteristic maxima for chlorophylls a and b were resolved in all species examined, and a spectral component attributable to siphonaxanthin-like carotenoid(s) was observed in two Ulva species and the coenocytic alga Derbesia marina. Representatives of the Phaeophyta were characterized by similar maxima for chlorophyll a and c, and for fucoxanthin. Among the Rhodophyta, maxima for chlorophyll a, as well as B- and R-type phycoerythrin were resolved. Differences in in vivo absorption features were detected for two tidal populations of Porphyra perforata and Mastocarpus papillatus. High-tidal thalli absorb less green light in regions characterized by phycoerythrin, but have enhanced carotenoid absorption compared with lowtidal thalli. Resolution of spectra by fourth-derivative analysis revealed significant differences in phycoerythrin and carotenoid contents. The spectral changes observed appear to reflect environmental and possibly populational characteristics of these algae. The spectral analyses described here provide robust, non-invasive means to characterize subtle responses of macroalgae to environment in ways not possible previously. Additional merits of these fourth-derivative analyses for use in environmental studies are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbott, I. A., Hollenberg, G. J. (1976). Marine algae of California. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA
Alberte, R. S., Andersen, R. A. (1986). Antheraxanthin, a light harvesting carotenoid in a chromophyte alga. Pl. Physiol. 80: 583–587
Alberte, R. S., Friedman, A. L., Gustafson, D., Rudnick, M., Lyman, H. (1981). Light harvesting system of brown algae and diatoms: isolation and characterization of chlorophyll a/c and chlorophyll a/fucoxanthin pigment-protein complexes. Biochim. biophys. Acta 635: 304–316
Anderson, J. M. (1985). Chlorophyll-protein complexes of a marine green alga, Codium species (Siphonales). Biochim. biophys. Acta 806: 145–153
Bidigare, R. R., Morrow, J. H., Kiefer, D. A. (1989). Derivative analysis of spectral absorption by photosynthetic pigments in the Western Sargasso Sea. J. mar. Res. 47: 322–341
Britton, G. (1984). The biochemistry of natural pigments. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England
Brown, J. S., Alberte, R. S., Thornber, J. P. (1975). Comparative studies on the occurrence and spectral composition of chlorophyll-protein complexes in a wide variety of plant material. In: Avron, M. (ed..) Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Photosynthesis (1974) at Rehovot, Israel, Elsevier, Amsterdam, p. 1951–1962
Butler, W. L. (1972). Chapter 1. Absorption spectroscopy of biological materials. Meth. Enzym. 24B: 3–25
Butler, W. L., Hopkins, D. W. (1970a). Higher derivative analysis of complex absorption spectra. Photochem. Photobiol. 12: 439–450
Butler, W. L., Hopkins, D. W. (1970b). An analysis of fourth derivative spectra. Photochem. Photobiol. 12: 451–456
Dring, M. J. (1982) The biology of marine plants. Edward Arnold, London
French, C. S., Brown, J. S., Lawrence, M. (1972). Four universal forms of chlorophyll a. Pl. Physiol. 49: 421–429
Friedman, A. L., Alberte, R. S. (1984). A diatom light-harvesting pigment-protein complex. Purification and characterization. Pl. Physiol. 76: 483–489
Friedman, A. L., Alberte, R. S. (1986). Biogenesis and light regulation of the major light harvesting chlorophyll-protein of diatoms. Pl. Physiol. 80: 43–51
Friedman, A. L., Alberte, R. S. (1987). Phylogenetic distribution of the major diatom light harvesting pigment-protein determined by immunological methods. J. Phycol. 23: 427–433
Fork, D. C., Satoh, K. (1986). The control by state transitions of the distribution of excitation energy in photosynthesis. A. Rev. Pl. Physiol. 37: 335–361
Gasanov, R. A., French, C. S. (1973). Chlorophyll composition and photochemical activity of photosystems detached from chloroplast grana and stroma lamellae. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70: 2082–2085
Goodwin, T. W. (1980). The biochemistry of the carotenoids. Vol. 1. Plants. Chapman & Hall, London, England
Halldal, P. (1974). Light and photosynthesis of different marine algal groups. In: Jerlov, N. G., Steemann Nielsen, E. (eds.) Optical aspects of oceanography. Academic Press, London, p. 345–360
Haxo, F. T. (1985). Photosynthetic action spectrum of the coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyceae): 19′ hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin as antenna pigment. J. Phycol. 21: 282–287
Haxo, F. T., Blinks, L. R. (1950). Photosynthetic action spectra of marine algae. J. gen. Physiol. 33: 389–342
Haxo, F. T., Neori, A., White, M. (1984). Photosynthetic action spectra of chloromonads. J. Protozool. 31: p. 25a
Hoek, van den, C., Stam, W. T., Olsen, J. L. (1988). The emergence of a new chlorophytan system, and Dr. Kornmann's contribution thereto. Helgoländer Meersunters. 42: 339–383
Jeffrey, S. W. (1980). Algal pigment systems. In: Falkowski, P. G. (ed.) Primary productivity in the sea. Plenum Press, New York, p. 33–58
Jeffrey, S. W., Sielicke, M., Haxo, F. T. (1975). Chloroplast pigment patterns in dinoflagellates. J. Phycol. 11: 374–384
Kageyama, A., Yokohama, Y., Shimura, S., Ikawa, T. (1977). An efficient excitation energy transfer from a carotenoid, siphonaxanthin to chlorophyll a observed in a deep water species of chlorophycean seaweed. Pl. Cell Physiol. Tokyo 18: 477–480
Kirk, J. T. O., Tilney-Bassett, R. A. E. (1978). The plastids. 2nd ed. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Kursar, T., Alberte, R. S. (1983). Photosynthetic unit organization in red algae. Relationships between light harvesting pigments and reaction centers. Pl. Physiol. 72: 409–414
Larkum, A. W. D., Barrett, J. (1983). Light-harvesting processes in algae. Adv. bot. Res. 10: 1–219
Lüning, K. (1981). Photobiology of seaweeds: ecophysiological aspects. Proc. int. Seaweed Symp. (Goteborg, 1981) 10: 33–55 [Levring, T. (ed) Walter de Gruyter, Berlin]
Owens, T. G., Gallagher, J. C., Alberte, R. S. (1987). Photosynthetic light-harvesting function of violaxanthin in Nannochloropsis spp. (Eustigmatophyceae). J. Phycol. 23: 79–85
Paerl, H. W. (1984). Cyanobacterial carotenoids: their roles in maintaining optimal photosynthetic production among aquatic bloom-forming genera. Oecologia 61: 143–149
Paerl, H. W., Bland, P. T., Bowles, N. D., Haibac, M. E. (1985). Adaptation to high-intensity, low wavelength light among surface blooms of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. Appl. envirl Microbiol. 49: 1046–1052
Paerl, H. W., Tucker, W. J., Bland, P. T. (1983). Carotenoid enhancement and its role in maintaining blue-green algae (Microcystis aeruginosa) surface blooms. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28: 847–857
Polanshek, A., West, J. A. (1977). Culture and hybridization studies on Gigartina papillata (Rhodophyta). J. Phycol. 13: 141–149
Prézclin, B. B., Ley, A. C., Haxo, F. T. (1976). Effects of growth irradiance on the photosynthetic action spectra of the marine dinoflagellate, Glenodinium sp. Planta 130: 251–256
Rowan, K. S. (1981). Chapter 16; Photosynthetic pigments. In: Clayton, M. N., King, R. J. (eds.) Marine botany: an Australasian perspective. Longmans Chesire Pty Ltd., Melbourne, Australia, p. 335–369
Satoh, K., Katoh, S. (1979). Two electrogenic mechanisms contributing to the 560 nm absorption changes in intact Bryopsis chloroplasts. Biochim. biophys. Acta 545: 454–465
Smith, C. M., Berry, J. A. (1986) Recovery of photosynthesis after exposure of intertidal algae to temperature and osmotic stress: comparative studies of species with differing distributional limits. Oecologia 70: 6–12
Vesk, M., Jeffrey, S. W. (1977). Effect of blue-green light on photosynthetic pigments and chloroplast structure in unicellular marine algae from six classes. J. Phycol. 13: 280–288
Yokohama, Y., Kageyama, A., Ikawa, T., Shimura, S. (1977). A carotenoid characteristic of chlorophycean seaweeds living in deep coastal waters. Botanica mar. 20: 433–436
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by M. G. Hadfield, Honolulu
This contribution is dedicated to the memory of Professor L. R. Blinks, a pioneer in photosynthesis research and algal physiology
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Smith, C.M., Alberte, R.S. Characterization of in vivo absorption features of chlorophyte, phaeophyte and rhodophyte algal species. Marine Biology 118, 511–521 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350308
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350308