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Survey of the occurrence of desiccation-induced quenching of basal fluorescence in 28 species of green microalgae

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Desiccation-induced chlorophyll fluorescence quenching seems to be an indispensable part of desiccation resistance in the surveyed 28 green microalgal species.

Lichens are desiccation tolerant meta-organisms. In the desiccated state photosynthesis is inhibited rendering the photobionts potentially sensitive to photoinhibition. As a photoprotective mechanism, strong non-radiative dissipation of absorbed light leading to quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence has been proposed. Desiccation-induced quenching affects not only variable fluorescence, but also the so-called basal fluorescence, F0. This phenomenon is well-known for intact lichens and some free living aero-terrestrial algae, but it was often absent in isolated lichen algae. Therefore, a thorough screening for the appearance of desiccation-induced quenching was undertaken with 13 different aero-terrestrial microalgal species and lichen photobionts. They were compared with 15 aquatic green microalgal species, among them also three marine species. We asked the following questions: Do isolated lichen algae show desiccation-induced quenching? Are aero-terrestrial algae different in this respect to aquatic algae and is the potential for desiccation-induced quenching coupled to desiccation tolerance? How variable is desiccation-induced quenching among species? Most of the aero-terrestrial algae, including all lichen photobionts, showed desiccation-induced quenching, although highly variable in extent, whereas most of the aquatic algae did not. All algae displaying quenching were also desiccation tolerant, whereas all algae unable to perform desiccation-induced quenching were desiccation intolerant. Desiccation-induced fluorescence quenching seems to be an indispensable part of desiccation resistance in the investigated species.

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Abbreviations

qdes :

Desiccation-induced chlorophyll fluorescence quenching

r.h.:

Relative air humidity

SAG:

Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Göttingen, Catalogue Number

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Acknowledgements

The Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Göttingen (SAG) kindly provided the algae strains. Frank-Peter Rapp and Jens Hermann helped in the construction of the apparatus for the desiccation experiments.

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  1. Botanical Institute, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, DE, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Paul Christian Wieners, Opayi Mudimu & Wolfgang Bilger

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  1. Paul Christian Wieners
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  2. Opayi Mudimu
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  3. Wolfgang Bilger
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Correspondence to Paul Christian Wieners.

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Dedicated gratefully to the late Profs. Otto Ludwig Lange and Ulrich Heber, two pioneers in the ecophysiology of desiccation tolerance.

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Wieners, P.C., Mudimu, O. & Bilger, W. Survey of the occurrence of desiccation-induced quenching of basal fluorescence in 28 species of green microalgae. Planta 248, 601–612 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-2925-7

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