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Chlorophyll fluorescence from single cells: Interpretation of flow cytometric signals
Author(s) -
Sosik Heidi M.,
Chisholm Sallie W.,
Olson Robert J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1989.34.8.1749
Subject(s) - thalassiosira weissflogii , biology , diatom , chlorophyll a , intraspecific competition , fluorescence , chlorophyll , botany , photosynthesis , pigment , phytoplankton , biophysics , chemistry , zoology , ecology , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , nutrient
The relationship between flow cytometric fluorescence signals and photosynthetic pigments was investigated in three species of marine eucaryotic phytoplankton, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Hymenomonas carterae, and Amphidinium carteri. The species were grown over a range of light intensities to provide a spectrum of pigment compositions for the study. Both interspecific and intraspecific differences were observed. Variations among the species in fluorescence per unit of chlorophyll a (Chl a ) could be explained by differences in the relative abundance of Chl a and accessory pigments. Amphidinium carteri had much greater fluorescence per unit of Chl a than the other two species and it had the highest Chi c :Chl a ratio. Fluorescence per unit of Chl a decreased as Chl a per cell increased in H . carterae and A. carteri, whereas it remained the same in T. weissflogii. We interpret these differences to have their origins in the “package” effect on light absorption. This effect seems to be least evident in the diatom because cell size increased as Chl a per cell increased in low‐light‐grown cells. In H. carterae and A. carteri the opposite was true, such that the intracellular concentration of Chl a increased substantially in the low‐light cells. Based on these data, we find that to interpret fluorescence signals among species, differences in the relative abundances of Chl a and accessory pigments must be considered, while for intraspecific fluorescence differences, the package effect may be more important.