Settlement and cell division of diatomNaviculacan be influenced by light of various qualities and intensities

Abstract

Diatom settlement and cell division is important in two major aspects. Firstly, biofouling is a costly problem in the shipping industry that necessitates the effective inhibition of diatom settlement and proliferation. Secondly, biological coatings on the basis of ordered and densely packed cell lawns of diatom are useful for nano- and biotechnology. This study demonstrated that the settlement and cell division of the marine unicellular diatom Navicula sp. can be influenced by light-emitting diodes of various light qualities and intensities. Except for blue light, the settlement of diatoms was reduced by weak (approx. 0.14-6 µE m(-2) s(-1)) green, yellow or red light. When the irradiance intensity, however, was higher than 8-9 µE m(-2) s(-1), the settlement was stimulated. This phenomenon could be explained by the hypothesis of spatial interference between a chloroplast and a holdfast-like structure. Densely packed lawn of diatoms with uniform distribution can be fabricated for nanotechnologies, using blue light that stimulates diatom cell division.

The Vertical Migratory Rhythm of Intertidal Microphytobenthos in Sediment Depends on the Light Photoperiod, Intensity, and Spectrum: Evidence for a Positive Effect of Blue Wavelengths

“…In the recent years, three types of BL photoreceptors have been identified in planktonic diatom models including cryptochromes and a family unique to stramenopiles, aureochromes (Jaubert et al, 2017). Aureochromes control the onset of diatom cell division (mitosis) (Huysman et al, 2013), and BL stimulates growth rate and biofilm formation of the epipelic representative Navicula species (Cao et al, 2013). Therefore, the BL increase in surface PAB we observed could also be due to the proliferation of diatom cells.…”

The influence of species, density, and diversity of macroalgal aggregations on microphytobenthic settlement

“…Contrary to other diatoms, the Cocconeis genus is not inhibited by low light availability (Watson et al 2004, Raniello et al 2007), hence increasing its probability of development under canopies where irradiance was attenuated the most. Because more light was available at the lower densities, other organisms with higher light requirements such as Achnanthes, Navicula, and Nitzschia may have been able to develop underneath these treatments (Van Der Grinten et al 2005, Cao et al 2013). Yet, this trend may also be associated with Cocconeis spp.…”

The Challenge of Ecophysiological Biodiversity for Biotechnological Applications of Marine Microalgae

“…Blue light affects many physiological processes in algae, such as photo-morphogenesis [270], chloroplast movement [271], cell division and photosynthetic acclimation in diatoms [252,253,270,272]. The spectral composition of light plays a key role in the ability of diatoms to finely balance light harvesting and photoprotective capacities [273].…”