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Mechanisms that increase the growth efficiency of diatoms in low light

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Abstract

Photoacclimation was studied in Thalassiosira pseudonana to help understand mechanisms underlying the success of diatoms in low-light environments, such as coastal and deep mixing ecosystems. Light harvesting and other cell characteristics were combined with oxygen and carbon production measurements to assess the water-splitting reaction at PSII (\({\text{GPP}}_{{{\text{O}}_{2} }}\)) and intermediate steps leading to net carbon production (NPPC). These measurements revealed that T. pseudonana is remarkably efficient at converting harvested light energy into biomass, with at least 57 % of \({\text{GPP}}_{{{\text{O}}_{2} }}\) retained as NPPC across all light-limited growth rates examined. Evidence for upregulation of ATP generation pathways that circumvent carbon fixation indicated that high growth efficiency at low light levels was at least partly due to increases in the efficiency of ATP production. Growth rate-dependent demands for ATP and NADPH were reflected in carbon composition and in unexpected shifts in the light-limited slope (α) of photosynthesis–irradiance relationships generated from chlorophyll-specific 14C-uptake. Overall, these results suggest that pathway gating of carbon and energy flow depends on light availability and is a key factor promoting the efficiency of diatom growth at low light intensities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Douglas Campbell and an anonymous reviewer for their careful reading and comments and suggestions that significantly improved the final manuscript. We also thank Greg Silsbe for helpful discussions during the final stages of manuscript preparation. This work was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation Biological Oceanography program (NSF-OCE 1057244).

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  1. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Nerissa L. Fisher

  2. Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 226 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Kimberly H. Halsey

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  1. Nerissa L. Fisher
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  2. Kimberly H. Halsey
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Correspondence to Kimberly H. Halsey.

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Fisher, N.L., Halsey, K.H. Mechanisms that increase the growth efficiency of diatoms in low light. Photosynth Res 129, 183–197 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-016-0282-6

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