Changes of Photosynthetic Behaviors in Kappaphycus alvarezii Infected by Epiphyte

Abstract

Epiphytic filamentous algae (EFA) were noted as a serious problem to reduce the production and quality of K. alvarezii. The morphological studies revealed that the main epiphyte on K. alvarezii was Neosiphonia savatieri in China. Though the harmful effects of EFA on the production of K. alvarezii have been reported, the detailed mechanism of the N. savatieri in limiting the production of K. alvarezii has not been studied yet. The present paper studied the effects of N. savatieri infection on photosynthetic behaviors in K. alvarezii by detecting chlorophyll fluorescence transient in vivo. The results revealed that damage of oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), decrease of active reaction centers (RCs), and the plastoquinone (PQ) pool as well as significant reduction in the performance indexes (PI) of PSII were caused by the infection of N. savatieri. The influence of N. savatieri on photosynthetic activity of K. alvarezii should be one of the important reasons to reduce the production of K. alvarezii infected by N. savatieri.

Impacts of glyphosate on photosynthetic behaviors in Kappaphycus alvarezii and Neosiphonia savatieri detected by JIP-test

“…It is proposed that the difference in structure between N. savatieri and K. alvarezii is mainly responsible for this phenomenon. The main axes of N. savatieri are 60-250 μm in diameter, with segment length 0.5-1.0-fold of the diameter, each vegetative segment consists of four pericentral cells and lacks cortical cells (Masuda et al 2001;Pang et al 2011). Therefore, glyphosate can penetrate into the thalli easily and do integral harm to N. savatieri.…”

“…Vairappan et al (2008) found that the dominant epiphyte in these four culture areas was N. apiculata. The occurrence of N. savatieri in Lian Bay, Hainan Province, the main tropical K. alvarezii culture place in China, has resulted in tremendous decrease in biomass production of Kappaphycus since March 2009 (Pang et al 2011). Even now, only a few people continue to farm Kappaphycus since the outbreak of N. savatieri.…”

A laser-scanning confocal microscopy study of carrageenan in red algae from seaweed farms near the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal

“…All explants selected for the study appeared clean, green, and healthy. The existence of color strains of K. alvarezii with varied pigmentation (green, red, yellow, and brown) has been reported in the literature for decades, with differences in their physiological characteristics including growth performance and photosynthesis reported from laboratory studies (Dawes and Koch 1991;Aguiree-Lipperheide et al 1995;Hurtado et al 2014;Pang et al 2011).…”

“…This decrease is reportedly correlated with drastic environmental changes in areas with low water motion in both of these locations. Morphological studies performed in China revealed that the main epiphyte on K. alvarezii was N. savatieri and reduced photosynthetic activity caused by extensive shading could be one of the primary reasons for the decreased productivity of K. alvarezii infected by N. savatieri (Pang et al 2011).…”

Seaweed cultivation: potential and challenges of crop domestication at an unprecedented pace

“…Goose‐bumps ( Neosiphonia apiculata infestation, arrows) on K . alvarezii (reproduced from Pang et al ., ).…”