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Effects of UVB radiation on the carragenophyte Kappaphycus alvarezii (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales): changes in ultrastructure, growth, and photosynthetic pigments

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Abstract

Damage to the ozone layer has led to increased levels of ultraviolet radiation at the earth’s surface. Increased ultraviolet radiation can affect macroalgae in many important ways, including reduced growth rate, changes in cell biology and ultrastructure. Kappaphycus alvarezii is a red macroalga of economic interest due to its production of kappa carrageenan. In this study, we examined two strains of K. alvarezii (green and red) exposed to ultraviolet B radiation (UVBR) for 3 h per day during 28 days of cultivation in vitro. UVBR caused changes in the ultrastructure of cortical and subcortical cells, which included increased thickness of the cell wall and plastoglobuli, reduced intracellular spaces, changes in the cell contour, and destruction of chloroplast internal organization. While the green strain exposed to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) showed growth rates of 6.75% day−1, the red strain grew only 6.35% day−1. Upon exposure to PAR + UV-B, a decreasing trend in growth rates was observed for both strains, with the green strain growing 3.0% day−1 and the red strain growing 2.77% day−1. Significant differences in growth rates between control and UV-B-exposed algae were also found in both strains. Furthermore, compared with control algae, phycobiliprotein contents (phycoerythrin, phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin) were observed to decrease in both strains after PAR + UV-B exposure. However, while the chlorophyll a levels increased in both strains, the green strain showed no significant differences in chlorophyll a levels. Taken together, these findings strongly suggested that UVBR negatively affects the ultrastructure, growth rates, and photosynthetic pigments of intertidal macroalgae and, in the long term, their economic viability.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Central Laboratory of Electron Microscopy (LCME), Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil, for the use of their transmission electron microscope. We also wish to thank Prof. Pio Colepicolo Neto, University of Sao Paulo, for supplying the UV lamp. This study was part of the Master’s thesis of the first author.

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  1. Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, 88049-900, Brazil

    Éder C. Schmidt & Zenilda L. Bouzon

  2. Plant Morphogenesis and Biochemistry Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, 88049-900, Brazil

    Marcelo Maraschin

  3. Central Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, 88049-900, Brazil

    Zenilda L. Bouzon

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  1. Éder C. Schmidt
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  2. Marcelo Maraschin
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Correspondence to Éder C. Schmidt.

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Schmidt, É.C., Maraschin, M. & Bouzon, Z.L. Effects of UVB radiation on the carragenophyte Kappaphycus alvarezii (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales): changes in ultrastructure, growth, and photosynthetic pigments. Hydrobiologia 649, 171–182 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0243-6

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