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A new microscopic method to analyse desiccation‐induced volume changes in aeroterrestrial green algae
Author(s) -
LAJOS K.,
MAYR S.,
BUCHNER O.,
BLAAS K.,
HOLZINGER A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/jmi.12409
Subject(s) - desiccation , green algae , biology , botany , algae , red algae , horticulture
Summary Aeroterrestrial green algae are exposed to desiccation in their natural habitat, but their actual volume changes have not been investigated. Here, we measure the relative volume reduction (RV RED ) in Klebsormidium crenulatum and Zygnema sp. under different preset relative air humidities (RH). A new chamber allows monitoring RH during light microscopic observation of the desiccation process. The RHs were set in the range of ∼4 % to ∼95% in 10 steps. RV RED caused by the desiccation process was determined after full acclimation to the respective RHs. In K. crenulatum , RV RED (mean ± SE) was 46.4 ± 1.9%, in Zygnema sp. RV RED was only 34.3 ± 2.4% at the highest RH (∼95%) tested. This indicates a more pronounced water loss at higher RHs in K. crenulatum versus Zygnema sp. By contrast, at the lowest RH (∼4%) tested, RV RED ranged from 75.9 ± 2.7% in K. crenulatum to 83.9 ± 2.2% in Zygnema sp. The final volume reduction is therefore more drastic in Zygnema sp. These data contribute to our understanding of the desiccation process in streptophytic green algae, which are considered the closest ancestors of land plants.