RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effects of spectral light quality on the growth, productivity, and elemental ratios in differently pigmented marine phytoplankton species
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.04.09.034504
DO 10.1101/2020.04.09.034504
A1 T. L. Bercel
A1 S. A. Kranz
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/04/10/2020.04.09.034504.abstract
AB Effects of light quality on the growth, productivity, and cellular composition of three uniquely pigmented marine phytoplankton species were characterized. To accomplish this, cultures of Prochlorococcus marinus, Synechococcus sp., and Thalassiosira weissflogii were grown under three commercially available LED as well as a fluorescent growth light. Despite having equal photosynthetic active radiation, light quality (light spectrum) and thus photosynthetically usable radiation differed between the treatments. Growth was unaffected in all species tested, and net primary productivity was only affected in P. marinus when grown under a “Bright White” LED. Cellular chlorophyll a as well as carbon and nitrogen quotas were affected by different light spectra in Synechococcus sp. and T. weissflogii. Analysis of pigmentation also showed reduced photoprotective to photoactive pigment ratios in some of the cultures under specific lighting environments. Additional photophysiological analysis using fast repetition rate fluorometry indicated changes in the photoacclimation state between different light environments. These results show that while the cells used in our experiment are able to maintain growth and productivity when given lights of varying quality, underlying cellular metabolism and biochemistry is affected. This highlights the importance of carefully choosing spectral quality as well as intensity when designing laboratory-based experiments or setting up bioreactors for biomass generation.Highlight With light emitting diode-based growth lights becoming available to researchers, it is important to consider the spectral quality of light when designing experiments to understand responses of phytoplankton to environmental conditions.