CHLOROPHYLL C PIGMENT PATTERNS IN 18 SPECIES (51 STRAINS) OF THE GENUS PSEUDO‐NITZSCHIA (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)¹

Abstract

The pigment composition of 18 species (51 strains) of the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia was examined using HPLC. The carotenoid composition was typical for diatoms, with fucoxanthin (the major xanthophyll), diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin, and β,β-carotene. However, a diverse array of chl c pigments was observed in the studied strains. All Pseudo-nitzschia strains contained chl a and chl c2 , traces of Mg-2,4-divinyl phaeoporphyrin a5 monomethyl ester (MgDVP), and traces of a chl c2 -like pigment originally found in the haptophyte Pavlova gyrans. The distribution of chl c1 and chl c3 was variable among species (present in seven and 14 species, respectively). Based on chl c distribution, three major pigment types were defined: type 1 (chl c1 + c2 , four species: P. australis, P. brasiliana, P. multiseries, and P. seriata), type 2 (chl c1 + c2 + c3 , three species: P. fraudulenta, P. multistriata, and P. pungens), and type 3 (chl c2 + c3 , 11 species: P. arenysensis, P. calliantha, P. cuspidata, P. decipiens, P. delicatissima, P. galaxiae, P. mannii, P. pseudodelicatissima, P. subcurvata, P. cf. subpacifica, and a novel Pseudo-nitzschia species). Type 1 and 2 species also shared the absence of a particular morphological character, the central nodule in the raphe, with the only exception of P. fraudulenta. The implications of such pigment diversity in chemotaxonomy, HAB monitoring, ecology, and phylogeny of Pseudo-nitzschia species are discussed.

Controls on temporal and spatial variations of phytoplankton pigment distribution in the Northern South China Sea

“…14), the ratios are 0.23, 0.21, 0.18, 0.29 from 2010 June to 2012 Sept cruises, respectively. These ratios are also close to the Chl c2 to Fuco ratios reported previously (Mackey et al, 1996;Zapata et al, 2011), indicating that both Fuco and Chl c2 mainly come from diatoms. In addition, Fuco did not correlates heavily with Hex and But (Table 4), thus most of the Fuco must have originated from diatoms, not from coccolithophores or chrysophytes.…”

Spectral Radiation Dependent Photoprotective Mechanism in the Diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata

“…6E), while this ratio similarly decreased in the two mixed light conditions (BR and BRG) under low and high light ( p <0.05, n  = 21). Pseudo-nitszchia multistriata is one of the few diatoms presenting Chl c 3 pigment [46]. The spectral radiation modulation of Chl c 3 content, decreasing when both red and blue radiations are present together, fits with the increase of Chl c 3 observed in the deep, layer below 50 metres depth in the Mediterranean Sea, where only blue light is present and red light is absent [47].…”

The genus Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyceae) in a temperate estuary with description of two new species: Pseudo-nitzschia plurisecta sp. nov. and Pseudo-nitzschia abrensis sp. nov.

“…Zapata et al. () find several pigment types in Pseudo‐nitzschia . P. abrensis and P. plurisecta share the same pigment pattern corresponding to type III of Zapata et al.…”