Adaptation to Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments in Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorophyta)

Aigner, Siegfried; Glaser, Karin; Arc, Erwann; Holzinger, Andreas; Schletter, Michael; Karsten, Ulf; Kranner, Ilse

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.585836

Cited by 17 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Low-light requirements for growth combined with no signs of photoinhibition even at higher PFDs were also detected in other terrestrial microalgae, for example, in an alpine isolate of Chlorella vulgaris (Aigner et al 2020). Considering the natural light conditions at a tree bark, this terrestrial microhabitat is from an ecophysiological point of view challenging for microalgae, as the bark is exposed to both strong diurnal and seasonal light fluctuations.…”

Section: Light Requirements For Photosynthesis and Growth And Adaptatmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Within a relatively short recovery period of 190 min, 85% of the original photosynthetic activity was reached indicating the ability to tolerate desiccation stress for a short time period. This rapid recovery after dehydration is considered characteristic ecophysiological trait of terrestrial microalgae as shown for a terrestrial strain of Chlorella vulgaris (Trebouxiophyceae; Aigner et al 2020), terrestrial strains of Tetradesmus sp. (Chlorophyceae; (Terlova et al 2021) and for the streptophyte Klebsormidium crenulatum (Karsten et al (2010a).…”

Section: Desiccationmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…(Gustavs et al 2011;Hotter et al 2018). Sucrose was also found in terrestrial Chlorella vulgaris (Aigner et al 2020). As a common metabolite in Klebsormidium species and higher plants, sucrose is often associated to cold acclimation (Nagao et al 2008;Nagao and Uemura 2012;Holzinger and Pichrtová 2016).…”

Section: Desiccationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecophysiological, morphological, and biochemical traits of free-living Diplosphaera chodatii (Trebouxiophyceae) reveal adaptation to harsh environmental conditions

et al. 2021

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Single-celled green algae within the Trebouxiophyceae (Chlorophyta) are typical components of terrestrial habitats, which often exhibit harsh environmental conditions for these microorganisms. This study provides a detailed overview of the ecophysiological, biochemical, and ultrastructural traits of an alga living on tree bark. The alga was isolated from a cypress tree in the Botanical Garden of Innsbruck (Austria) and identified by morphology and molecular phylogeny as Diplosphaera chodatii. Transmission electron microscopy after high-pressure freezing (HPF) showed an excellent preservation of the ultrastructure. The cell wall was bilayered with a smooth inner layer and an outer layer of polysaccharides with a fuzzy hair-like appearance that could possibly act as cell-cell adhesion mechanism and hence as a structural precursor supporting biofilm formation together with the mucilage observed occasionally. The photosynthetic-irradiance curves of D. chodatii indicated low light requirements without photoinhibition at high photon flux densities (1580 μmol photons m−2 s−1) supported by growth rate measurements. D. chodatii showed a high desiccation tolerance, as 85% of its initial value was recovered after controlled desiccation at a relative humidity of ~10%. The alga contained the low molecular weight carbohydrates sucrose and sorbitol, which probably act as protective compounds against desiccation. In addition, a new but chemically not elucidated mycosporine-like amino acid was detected with a molecular mass of 332 g mol−1 and an absorption maximum of 324 nm. The presented data provide various traits which contribute to a better understanding of the adaptive mechanisms of D. chodatii to terrestrial habitats.

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Section: Light Requirements For Photosynthesis and Growth And Adaptatmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Desiccationmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Ecophysiological, morphological, and biochemical traits of free-living Diplosphaera chodatii (Trebouxiophyceae) reveal adaptation to harsh environmental conditions

et al. 2021

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“…Vegetative desiccation tolerance is thought to be one of the key traits in the evolution of early land plants as they evolved from aquatic ancestors [5], and considerable research has focused on advancing our understanding of this capacity in mosses, lycophytes, and their immediate algal relatives. This research showed that multiple cellular processes are affected by desiccation including carbon, protein, and lipid metabolism, cell cycle, stress response pathways, and signaling activity (e.g., [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Desert green algae arose multiple times during the diversification of Chlorophyta, often in clades containing both aquatic and terrestrial species [10,13,21,22]. For example, Tetradesmus G.M.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial Green Algae Show Higher Tolerance to Dehydration than Do Their Aquatic Sister-Species

2021

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Diverse algae possess the ability to recover from extreme desiccation without forming specialized resting structures. Green algal genera such as Tetradesmus (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyceae) contain temperate terrestrial, desert, and aquatic species, providing an opportunity to compare physiological traits associated with the transition to land in closely related taxa. We subjected six species from distinct habitats to three dehydration treatments varying in relative humidity (RH 5%, 65%, 80%) followed by shortand long-term rehydration. We tested the capacity of the algae to recover from dehydration using the effective quantum yield of photosystem II as a proxy for physiological activity. The degree of recovery was dependent both on the habitat of origin and the dehydration scenario, with terrestrial, but not aquatic, species recovering from dehydration. Distinct strains of each species responded similarly to dehydration and rehydration, with the exception of one aquatic strain that recovered from the mildest dehydration treatment. Cell ultrastructure was uniformly maintained in both aquatic and desert species during dehydration and rehydration, but staining with an amphiphilic styryl dye indicated damage to the plasma membrane from osmotically induced water loss in the aquatic species. These analyses demonstrate that terrestrial Tetradesmus possess a vegetative desiccation tolerance phenotype, making these species ideal for comparative omics studies.

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The architecture and metabolic traits of monospecific photosynthetic biofilms studied in a custom flow‐through system

Fanesi

Martin

Breton

et al. 2022

Biotech & Bioengineering

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Microalgae biofilms have great ecological importance and high biotechnological potential. Nevertheless, an in‐depth and combined structural (i.e., the architecture of the biofilm) and physiological characterization of microalgae biofilms is still missing. An approach able to provide the same time physiological and structural information during biofilm growth would be of paramount importance to understand these complex biological systems and to optimize their productivity. In this study, monospecific biofilms of a diatom and a green alga were grown under dynamic conditions in custom flow cells represented by UV/Vis spectroscopic cuvettes. Such flow cells were conceived to characterize the biofilms by several techniques mostly in situ and in a nondestructive way. Physiological traits were obtained by measuring variable chlorophyll a fluorescence by pulse amplitude modulated fluorometry and by scanning the biofilms in a spectrometer to obtain in vivo pigments spectral signatures. The architectural features were obtained by imaging the biofilms with a confocal laser scanning microscopy and an optical coherence tomography. Overall, this experimental setup allowed us to follow the growth of two biofilm‐forming microalgae showing that cell physiology is more affected in complex biofilms likely as a consequence of alterations in local environmental conditions.

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Adaptation to Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments in Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorophyta)

Abstract: Adaptation to Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments in Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorophyta).

Cited by 17 publications

References 75 publications

Ecophysiological, morphological, and biochemical traits of free-living Diplosphaera chodatii (Trebouxiophyceae) reveal adaptation to harsh environmental conditions

Ecophysiological, morphological, and biochemical traits of free-living Diplosphaera chodatii (Trebouxiophyceae) reveal adaptation to harsh environmental conditions

Terrestrial Green Algae Show Higher Tolerance to Dehydration than Do Their Aquatic Sister-Species

The architecture and metabolic traits of monospecific photosynthetic biofilms studied in a custom flow‐through system

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