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THE CONTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC SOLUTES TO OSMOTIC BALANCE IN SOME GREEN AND EUSTIGMATOPHYTE ALGAE 1
Author(s) -
Brown Lewis M.,
Hellebust Johan A.
Publication year - 1980
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.1529-8817.1980.tb03029.x
Subject(s) - biology , osmoregulation , algae , sucrose , proline , sorbitol , botany , osmotic shock , green algae , salinity , biochemistry , amino acid , ecology , gene
Sorbitol and proline accumulate to osmotically significant concentrations in Stichococcus bacillaris Nägeli, Stichococcus chloranthus Krüger and Klebsormidium marinum (Deason) Silva, Mattox & Blackwell. The extent of osmotic balance by these and other organic solutes depends on the isolate for these three species of essentially non‐vacuolate algae. Sucrose, proline and sorbitol accumulate in the lichen alga Hyalococcus dermatocarponis Warén, but concentrations on an osmotic basis are low. Sucrose and glutamic acid are significant solutes in the likely non‐vacuolate K. flaccidum (Braun) Silva, Mattox & Blackwell. A similar set of solutes accumulates to an osmotically significant level in Ulothrix fimbriata Bold, a highly vacuolate alga. Two small eustigmatophycean algae (strains WHOI GSB‐Sticho and WHOI Car‐A) and one small chlorophyte (strain UWASH 20‐2‐2) accumulate organic solutes to a moderate degree during salinity stress; mannitol and proline in the eustigmatophytes and proline in the chlorophyte. The highly vacuolate seaweed Enteromorpha intestinalis (L.) Link accumulates sucrose, but at low levels. Osmotic balance in these algae may also include other solutes, compartmentation (especially in vacuolated forms), or other factors. The role of organic solutes in osmotic balance is variable, and depends on details of physiology and ultrastructure.