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Photon- and carbon-use efficiency in Ulva rigida at different CO2 and N levels

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Abstract

The seaweed Ulva rigida C. Agardh (Chlorophyta) was cultured under two CO2 conditions supplied through the air bubbling system: non-manipulated air and 1% CO2-enriched aeration. These were also combined with N sufficiency and N limitation, using nitrate as the only N source. High CO2 in U. rigida led to higher growth rates without increasing the C fixed through photosynthesis under N sufficiency. Quantum yields for charge separation at photosystem II (PSII) reaction centres (φPSII) and for oxygen evolution (φO2) decreased at high CO2 even in N-sufficient thalli. Cyclic electron flow around PSII as part of a photoprotection strategy accompanied by decreased antennae size was suspected. The new re-arrangement of the photosynthetic energy at high CO2 included reduced investment in processes other than C fixation, as well as in carbon diverted to respiration. As a result, quantum yield for new biomass-C production (φgrowth) increased. The calculation of the individual quantum yields for the different processes involved allowed the completion of the energy flow scheme through the cell from incident light to biomass production for each of the CO2 and N-supply conditions studied.

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Fig. 1.
Fig. 2a–c.
Fig. 3.

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Abbreviations

A :

total thallus absorptance

A pig :

absorptance due to pigments

A str :

Absorptance due to non-pigmented structures

a*:

spectrally averaged in vivo absorption cross-section of chlorophyll a

CCM:

carbon-concentrating mechanism

Chl:

chlorophyll

DOC:

dissolved organic carbon

ETR:

electron transport rate

F v/F m :

optimum quantum yield for PSII charge separation

GP:

gross O2 evolution rate

k pig :

specific light absorption coefficient for pigments

k str :

specific light absorption coefficient for non-pigmented structures

OP:

optimum O2 evolution rate

PFR:

photon fluence rate

POC:

particulate organic carbon

PS:

photosystem

q N :

non-photochemical quenching

q P :

photochemical quenching

φgrowth :

quantum yield for new biomass-C production

φO2 :

quantum yield for gross O2 evolution

φPSII :

quantum yield for PSII charge separation

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Acknowledgements

This work was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology Project REN 2002-00340/MAR, and the Andalusian research group RNM0176.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    Francisco J. L. Gordillo, Félix L. Figueroa & F. Xavier Niell

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  1. Francisco J. L. Gordillo
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  2. Félix L. Figueroa
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  3. F. Xavier Niell
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Correspondence to Francisco J. L. Gordillo.

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Gordillo, F.J.L., Figueroa, F.L. & Niell, F.X. Photon- and carbon-use efficiency in Ulva rigida at different CO2 and N levels. Planta 218, 315–322 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1087-3

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