Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of temperature, light level, and photoperiod on the physiology of Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing from the Northwest Atlantic, a candidate for aquaculture

Journal of Applied Phycology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Seaweed aquaculture in the Northwest Atlantic has been steadily increasing with five commercial kelp farms already established. Currently, kelp production is limited to winter and spring, and new seaweed crops need to be developed in order to supplement seasonal kelp production. Porphyra umbilicalis is a member of the most economically valuable group of seaweeds known by the Japanese name nori. It is an ideal candidate for aquaculture since it exhibits short production cycles, rapid growth, high nutrient uptake rates, and high pigment and protein content. Further, sexual reproduction appears to be absent in populations in the Northwest Atlantic, which considerably simplifies the production of seed stock. The goal of this study was to determine the conditions that optimize growth, photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II (F v/F m), and pigment and protein content of P. umbilicalis. Cultured blades were grown under a matrix of temperatures (10, 15, and 20 °C), light levels (30, 60, 110, and 250 μmol photons m−2 s−1), and photoperiods (8:16, 12:12, and 16:8 light/dark) in a factorial design for 4 weeks. Growth rates were highest (>9 % day−1) in blades grown between 10 and 15 °C, with light levels ≥110 μmol photons m−2 s−1 and ≥12 h of light in the day. F v/F m was significantly affected by photoperiod with this effect dependent on light level; the overall range of F v/F m values was small. Here, we report detailed information on the growth rate, F v/F m,, and pigment and protein content of P. umbilicalis grown under 36 treatment combinations. These results provide physiological information on P. umbilicalis from the Northwest Atlantic that will aid in the development of P. umbilicalis aquaculture on a commercial scale.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Blouin N (2010) Asexual reproduction in Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing (Rhodophyta) and its development for use in mariculture. PhD Thesis. University of Maine, School of Marine Sciences, USA pp. 150

  • Blouin NA, Brawley SH (2012) An AFLP-based test of clonality in widespread, putatively asexual populations of Porphyra umbilicalis (Rhodophyta) in the Northwest Atlantic with an in silico analysis for bacterial contamination. Mar Biol 159:2723–2729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blouin N, Calder BL, Perkins B, Brawley SH (2006) Sensory and fatty acid analyses of two Atlantic species of Porphyra (Rhodophyta). J Appl Phycol 18:79–85

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blouin N, Xiugeng F, Peng J, Yarish C, Brawley SH (2007) Seeding nets with neutral spores of the red alga Porphyra umbilicalis (L.) Kützing for use in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). Aquaculture 270:77–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blouin NA, Brodie JA, Grossman AC, Xu P, Brawley SH (2011) Porphyra: a marine crop shaped by stress. Trends Plant Sci 16:29–37

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradford MM (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantification of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248–254

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brodie J, Irvine LM (2003) Seaweeds of the British Isles, volume 1 Rhodophyta, part 3b Bangiophycidae. The National History Museum, London, p 167

  • Carmona R, Kraemer GP, Yarish C (2006) Exploring Northeast American and Asian species of Porphyra for use in an integrated finfish-algal aquaculture system. Aquaculture 252:54–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conover WJ, Iman RL (1981) Rank transformation as a bridge between parametric and nonparametric statistics. Am Stat 35:124–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper CS, Quails M (1967) Morphology and chlorophyll content of shade and sun leaves of two legumes. Crop Sci 7:672–673

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day JP (2008) The development of a modular integrated recirculating aquaculture system using Porphyra (nori) for the bioremediation of marine finfish effluent. PhD Thesis, University of New Hampshire, USA

  • Dongsansuk A, Lütz C, Neuner G (2013) Effects of temperature and irradiance on quantum yield of PSII photochemistry and xanthophyll cycle in a tropical and a temperate species. Photosynthetica 51:13–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) (2012) The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Federer WT, King F (2007) Variations on split plot and split block experimental designs. Wiley, Hoboken, p 270

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Figueroa FL, Salles S, Aguilera J, Jimenez C, Mercado J, Vinegla B, Flores-Moya A, Altamirano M (1997) Effects of solar radiation of photoinhibition and pigmentation in the red alga Porphyra leucosticta. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 151:81–90

  • Fortes MD, Lüning K (1980) Growth rates of North Sea macroalgae in relation to temperature, irradiance and photoperiod. Helgol Meeresun 34:15–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gantt E (1975) Phycobilisomes: light-harvesting pigment complexes. Bioscience 25:781–788

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Green LA, Neefus CD (2015) Effects of temperature, light level, photoperiod, and ammonium concentration on Pyropia leucosticta (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) from the Northwest Atlantic. J Appl Phycol 27:1253–1261

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herbert SK (1990) Photoinhibition resistance in the red alga Porphyra perforata. Plant Physiol 92:514–519

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hernández I, Corzo A, Gordillo FJ, Robles MD, Saez E, Fernández JA, Niell FX (1993) Seasonal cycle of the gametophytic form of Porphyra umbilicalis: nitrogen and carbon. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 99:301–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Israel A (2010) The extreme environments of Porphyra, a fast growing and edible red marine macroalga. In: Seckbach J, Chapman DJ (eds) Red algae in the genomic age, cellular origins, life in extreme habitats and astrobiology, vol 13. Springer, NY, pp 61–75

  • Israel A, Levy I, Friedlander M (2006) Experimental tank cultivation of Porphyra in Israel. J Appl Phycol 18:235–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jahn W, Steinbiss K, Zetsche K (1984) Light intensity adaptation of the phycobiliprotein content of the red alga Porphyridium. Planta 161:536–539

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim JK (2008) Mechanism of nitrogen assimilation of Porphyra from New England. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Connecticut, USA

  • Kim JK, Kraemer GP, Neefus CD, Chung IK, Yarish C (2007) Effects of temperature and ammonium on growth, pigment production and nitrogen uptake by four species of Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) native to the New England coast. J Appl Phycol 19:431–440

  • Kim JK, Kraemer GP, Yarish C (2013) Emersion induces nitrogen release and alteration of nitrogen metabolism in the intertidal genus Porphyra. PLoS One 8(7):e69961

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kokubu S, Nishihara N, Watanabe Y, Tsuchiya Y, Amamo Y, Terada R (2015) The effect of irradiance and temperature on the photosynthesis of a native alga Sargassum fusiforme (Fucales) from Kagoshima, Japan. Phycologia 54:235–247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Korbee N, Figueroa FL, Aguilera J (2005a) Effect of light quality on the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments, proteins and mycosporine-like amino acids in the red algae Porphyra leucosticta (Bangiales, Rhodophyta). J Photochem Photobiol B 80:71–78

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korbee N, Huovinen P, Figueroa FL, Aguilera J, Karsten U (2005b) Availability of ammonium influences photosynthesis and the accumulation of mycosporine-like amino acids in two Porphyra species (Bangiales, Rhodophyta). Mar Biol 146:645–654

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer GP, Yarish C (1999) Preliminary comparison of the mariculture potential of Porphyra purpurea and Porphyra umbilicalis. J Appl Phycol 11:473–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer GP, Carmona R, Chopin T, Neefus C, Tang X, Yarish C (2004) Evaluation of the bioremediatory potential of several species of the red alga Porphyra using short-term measurements of nitrogen uptake as a rapid bioassay. J Appl Phycol 16:489–497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lichtenhaler HK (1987) Chlorophyll and carotenoids: pigments of photosynthetic biomembranes. Methods Enzymol 148:350–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishkind M, Mauzerall D (1980) Kinetic evidence for common photosynthetic step in diverse seaweeds. Mar Biol 56:264–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mols-Mortensen A, Neefus CD, Nielsen R, Gunnarsson K, Egilsdóttir S, Pedersen PM, Brodie J (2012) New insights into the biodiversity and generic relationships of foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta) in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Eur J Phycol 47:146–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mols-Mortensen A, Neefus CD, Pedersen PM, Brodie J (2014) Diversity and distribution of foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta) in West Greenland: a link between the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Eur J Phycol 49:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ott FD (1966) A selected listing of xenic cultures. Systematics-ecology program No. 72 (Mar. Biol. Lab., Woods Hole, MA), pp. 1–45

  • Pereira R, Yarish C (2010) The role of Porphyra in sustainable culture systems: physiology and applications. In: Israel A, Einav R (eds) Role of seaweeds in a globally changing environment. Springer, NY, pp 339–354

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira R, Yarish C, Critchley AT (2013) Seaweed aquaculture for human foods in land-based and IMTA systems. In: Christou P, Savin R, Costa-Pierce BA, Misztal I, Whitelaw BA (eds) Sustainable food production. Springer, NY, pp 1405–1424

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sampath-Wiley P, Neefus CD (2007) An improved method from estimating R-phycoerythrin and R-phycocyanin contents from crude aqueous extracts of Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta). J Appl Phycol 19:123–129

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sampath-Wiley P, Neefus CD, Jahnke LS (2008) Seasonal effects of sun exposure and emersion on intertidal seaweed physiology: fluctuations in antioxidant contents, photosynthetic pigments, and photosynthetic efficiency in the red alga Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing (Rhodophyta, Bangiales). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 361:83–91

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shpigel M, Ragg NL, Lupatsch I, Neori A (1999) Protein content determines the nutritional value of the seaweed Ulva lactuca L. for the abalone Haliotis tuberculata L. and H. discus hannai Ino. J Shellfish Res 18:227–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas TE, Harrison PJ, Taylor EB (1985) Nitrogen uptake and growth of the germlings and mature thalli of Fucus distichus. Mar Biol 84:267–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waaland JR, Waaland SD, Bates G (1974) Chloroplast structure and pigment composition in the red alga Griffithsia pacifica: regulation by light intensity. J Phycol 10:193–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker AB, Fournier HR, Neefus CD, Nardi GC, Berlinsky DL (2009) Partial replacement of fish meal with laver Porphyra spp. in diets for Atlantic cod. Aquaculture 71:39–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe Y, Nishihara GN, Tokunaga S, Terada R (2014) Effect of irradiance and temperature on the photosynthesis of a cultivated red alga, Pyropia tenera (= Porphyra tenera), at the southern limit of distribution in Japan. Phycol Res 62:187–196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson RP (2002) Amino acids and proteins. In: Halver JE, Hardy RW (eds) Fish nutrition, 3rd edn. Academic, San Diego, pp 144–175

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Drs. Leland Jahnke, Arthur Mathieson, Charles Yarish, and David Berlinsky, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback on this manuscript. Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This is Scientific Contribution Number 2627. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 223365. This research was also funded by a grant from New Hampshire Sea Grant (R/CFR-14, C.D. Neefus).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Lindsay A. Green

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Lindsay A. Green & Christopher D. Neefus

Authors
  1. Lindsay A. Green
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christopher D. Neefus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lindsay A. Green.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Green, L.A., Neefus, C.D. Effects of temperature, light level, and photoperiod on the physiology of Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing from the Northwest Atlantic, a candidate for aquaculture. J Appl Phycol 28, 1815–1826 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0702-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0702-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation