Advances in Algal Photosynthesis and Phytochemistry

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 2580

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Botany Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil
Interests: photobiology; photosynthesis; ecophysiology; bioremediation

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ciencias y Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
Interests: seaweed reproduction; ecophysiology; photobiology; aquatic photosynthesis; biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photosynthesis is a fundamental process used for conducting energy obtained in many organisms around the world, allowing light energy to enter metabolic reactions. As primary producers, algae sustain a relationship with many other algal-consuming organisms, and indirectly the entire trophic web. This Special Issue intends to contribute with novelties about photosynthesis regulation, considering environmental parameters, as well as the regulation of molecular and chemical reactions. In this sense, photosynthetic reactions can produce compounds that are precursors from other secondary algal metabolism reactions, associated with the synthesis of cellular structure, pigments, phenolic compounds, and defense substances, among others. In this way, studies on the monitoring of photosynthesis and the phytochemical synthesis of metabolites are encouraged in this Special Issue.

Dr. José Bonomi Barufi
Dr. Nelso Navarro
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • chlorophyll fluorescence
  • pigments
  • secondary metabolites
  • photoregulation
  • oxygen production
  • carbon fixation
  • photochemical reactions

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2612 KiB  
Article
Photosynthetic Activity Measured In Situ in Microalgae Cultures Grown in Pilot-Scale Raceway Ponds
by Jiří Masojídek, Karolína Štěrbová, Victor A. Robles Carnero, Giuseppe Torzillo, Cintia Gómez-Serrano, Bernardo Cicchi, João Artur Câmara Manoel, Ana Margarita Silva Benavides, Marta Barceló-Villalobos, Joaquín Pozo Dengra, Vince Ördög, Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti, Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernándéz and Félix L. Figueroa
Plants 2024, 13(23), 3376; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233376 - 30 Nov 2024
Viewed by 427
Abstract
The microalga Scenedesmus sp. (Chlorophyceae) was cultured in a raceway pond (RWP) placed in a greenhouse. The objective of this case study was to monitor the photosynthesis performance and selected physicochemical variables (irradiance, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration) of microalgae cultures in situ at [...] Read more.
The microalga Scenedesmus sp. (Chlorophyceae) was cultured in a raceway pond (RWP) placed in a greenhouse. The objective of this case study was to monitor the photosynthesis performance and selected physicochemical variables (irradiance, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration) of microalgae cultures in situ at various depths of RWP. The data of actual photochemical yield Y(II), the electron transport rate monitored by in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic oxygen production both in situ and ex situ revealed that (i) even in diluted cultures (0.6 g DW L−1), the active photic layer in the culture was only about 1 cm, indicating that most of the culture was “photosynthetically” inactive; (ii) the mechanism of non-photochemical quenching may not be fast enough to respond once the cells move from the surface to the deeper layers; and (iii) even when cells were exposed to a high dissolved oxygen concentration of about 200% sat and higher, the cultures retained a relatively high Y(II) > 0.35 when monitored in situ. The presented work can be used as exemplary data to optimize the growth regime of microalgae cultures in large-scale RWPs by understanding the interplay between photosynthetic activity, culture depth and cell concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Algal Photosynthesis and Phytochemistry)
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22 pages, 2509 KiB  
Article
Effects of pH, Temperature, and Light on the Inorganic Carbon Uptake Strategies in Early Life Stages of Macrocystis pyrifera (Ochrophyta, Laminariales)
by Bárbara S. Labbé, Pamela A. Fernández, July Z. Florez and Alejandro H. Buschmann
Plants 2024, 13(23), 3267; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233267 - 21 Nov 2024
Viewed by 540
Abstract
The responses of seaweed species to increased CO2 and lowered pH (Ocean Acidification: OA) depend on their carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) and inorganic carbon (Ci) preferences. However, few studies have described these mechanisms in the early life stages of seaweeds or assessed [...] Read more.
The responses of seaweed species to increased CO2 and lowered pH (Ocean Acidification: OA) depend on their carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) and inorganic carbon (Ci) preferences. However, few studies have described these mechanisms in the early life stages of seaweeds or assessed the effects of OA and its interactions with other environmental drivers on their functionality and photophysiology. Our study evaluated the effects of pH, light (PAR), temperature, and their interactions on the Ci uptake strategies and photophysiology in the early stages of Macrocystis pyrifera. Gametophytes were cultivated under varying pH (7.80 and 8.20), light (20 and 50 µmol photons m−2s−1), and temperature (12 and 16 °C) conditions for 25 days. We assessed photophysiological responses and CCMs (in particular, the extracellular dehydration of HCO3 to CO2 mediated by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) and direct HCO3 uptake via an anion exchange port). This study is the first to describe the Ci uptake strategies in gametophytes of M. pyrifera, demonstrating that their primary CCM is the extracellular conversion of HCO3 to CO2 mediated by CA. Additionally, our results indicate that decreased pH can positively affect their photosynthetic efficiency and maximum quantum yield; however, this response is dependent on the light and temperature conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Algal Photosynthesis and Phytochemistry)
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19 pages, 1999 KiB  
Article
Biomass Productivity and Photosynthetic Activity in Ulva compressa (Chlorophyta) in Raceway Photobioreactors Under Stress Conditions
by Victor Robles-Carnero, Rafael Sesmero and Felix L. Figueroa
Plants 2024, 13(21), 3038; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13213038 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 508
Abstract
Research in seaweed cultivation technologies aims to increase production and reduce costs, leading to more efficient and sustainable processes. In this study, we analyzed the outdoor production of Ulva compressa cultured in summertime at different stocking densities of 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 kg [...] Read more.
Research in seaweed cultivation technologies aims to increase production and reduce costs, leading to more efficient and sustainable processes. In this study, we analyzed the outdoor production of Ulva compressa cultured in summertime at different stocking densities of 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 kg Fresh weight (FW) m−2 in a raceway photobioreactor with 30 m2 surface (3000 L), and its relation to photosynthetic activity. Under the experimental conditions of high temperature (>28–30 °C) and pH > 9 in culture water, higher seaweed density resulted in lower specific growth rate. The biomass production has been related to photosynthetic activity by using in vivo chlorophyll a fluorescence. Dynamic photoinhibition was observed at noon, which was less severe in cultures with higher algal densities. However, photosynthesis recovered in the afternoon. Seaweeds that were acclimatized for a week to the conditions of 1.0 kg FW m−2 stocking density showed an increase in biomass growth and absence of photoinhibition compared to non-acclimatized thalli. In conclusion, the cultivation of U. compressa in a mid-scale raceway photobiorreactor under conditions of high irradiance and temperature and low nutrient input, exhibited the best photosynthetic performance and hence the highest growth rates for the highest culture density assayed (1.0 kg FW m−2). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Algal Photosynthesis and Phytochemistry)
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15 pages, 5095 KiB  
Article
Temperature Dependence and the Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Ultrastructure and Photosynthetic Activity of Carpospores in Sub-Antarctic Red Alga Iridaea cordata (Turner) Bory 1826
by Nelso P. Navarro, Pirjo Huovinen, Jocelyn Jofre and Iván Gómez
Plants 2024, 13(18), 2547; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182547 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 571
Abstract
The short-term effects of UV radiation and low temperature on ultrastructure, photosynthetic activity (measured as the maximal photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II: Fv/Fm), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) contents, and UV-absorbing compounds on the carpospores of Iridaea cordata from [...] Read more.
The short-term effects of UV radiation and low temperature on ultrastructure, photosynthetic activity (measured as the maximal photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II: Fv/Fm), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) contents, and UV-absorbing compounds on the carpospores of Iridaea cordata from a sub-Antarctic population were investigated. Exposure to both photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and PAR + UV for 4 h caused ultrastructural modifications in all treatments. Under PAR + UV at 2 °C, a disruption of the chloroplast’s internal organization was observed. Plastoglobuli were often found in carpospores exposed to 2 °C. ‘Electron dense particles’, resembling physodes of brown algae, were detected for the first time in cells exposed to PAR and PAR + UV at 8 °C. Fv/Fm decreased following 4 h exposure at 2 °C under PAR + UV (64%) and PAR (25%). At 8 °C, Fv/Fm declined by 21% only under PAR + UV. The photosynthesis of carpospores previously treated with UV partially recovered after a 4 h exposure under dim light. UV-absorbing compounds were degraded in all radiation and temperature treatments without recovery after a 4 h dim light period. Chl-a did not change, whereas total carotenoids increased under PAR at 8 °C The study indicates that although carpospores of I. cordata exhibit photoprotective mechanisms, UV radiation strongly damages their ultrastructure and physiology, which were exacerbated under low temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Algal Photosynthesis and Phytochemistry)
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