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Elevated CO2 accelerated the bloom of three Ulva species after one life cycle culture

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Abstract

Human activities and the resulting global climate change have profound effects on ecosystems, and economic and social systems, including those dependent on the ocean. Increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 have led to gradual changes in the marine carbonate system. It is well known that environmental changes determine the composition and abundance of algal populations. In the present study, we evaluated the growth, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake rates, tissue C and N content, nitrate reductase activity, and nitrate transporter gene expression of Ulva prolifera, Ulva linza, and Ulva compressa exposed to 400, 1000, and 2000 ppm CO2 levels after one life cycle culture. Elevated CO2 promoted the rapid propagation of three Ulva species, which can result in the formation of a green tide. This was due to enhanced photosynthetic and respiration efficiency, reductions in energy requirements for biosynthesis and metabolism for maintaining external pH, and promotion of NO3− uptake by increased NO3− gene expression level and NO3− reductase activity.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

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Funding

This work was financially supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFD0900705, 2018YFD0900703), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32000404, 41976110, 41606038); Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund, YSFRI, CAFS (20603022020019, 20603022019006, 2020TD27); Marine S&T Fund of Shandong Province for Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao) (NO. 2018SDKJ0406-3); Major Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Program (2019JZZY020706); Financial Fund of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P. R. of China (NFZX2018); China Agriculture Research System (CARS-50); Taishan Scholars Funding, the Young Taishan Scholars Program to D.X., and Talent Projects of Distinguished Scientific Scholars in Agriculture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Yitao Wang, Dong Xu, Jian Ma, Xiaowen Zhang, Xiao Fan, Yan Zhang, Wei Wang, Ke Sun & Naihao Ye

  2. Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China

    Naihao Ye

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  1. Yitao Wang
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  2. Dong Xu
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  3. Jian Ma
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  4. Xiaowen Zhang
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  7. Wei Wang
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Correspondence to Naihao Ye.

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Wang, Y., Xu, D., Ma, J. et al. Elevated CO2 accelerated the bloom of three Ulva species after one life cycle culture. J Appl Phycol 33, 3963–3973 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02562-5

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