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PHOTOADAPTATION AND THE “PACKAGE” EFFECT IN DUNALIELLA TERTIOLECTA (CHLOROPHYCEAE) 1
Author(s) -
Berner Tamar,
Dubinsky Zvy,
Wyman Kevin,
Falkowski Paul G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-3646.1989.00070.x
Subject(s) - thylakoid , biology , chlorophyceae , chlorophyll , irradiance , chlorophyll a , botany , chloroplast , chlorophyta , absorption (acoustics) , biophysics , algae , biochemistry , optics , physics , gene
In the marine unicellular chlorophyte, Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher, the spectrally averaged m vivo absorption cross section, normalized to chlorophyll a (so‐called a* values), vary two‐fold in response to changes in growth irradiance. We used a kinetic approach to examine the specific factors which account for these changes in optical properties as cells photoadapt. Using Triton X‐100 to solubilize membranes, we were able to differentiate between “package” effects and pigmentation effects. Our analyses suggest that 43–49% of the variability in a* is due to changes in pigmentation, whereas 51–57% is due to the “package” effect. Further analyses revealed that changes in cell sue did not significantly affect packaging, while thylakoid stacking and the transparency of thylakoid membranes were important factors. Our results suggest that thylakoid membrane protein/lipid ratios change during photoadaptation, and these changes influence the effective rate of light harvesting per unit chlorophyll a .