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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Geochem.
Sec. Biogeochemistry
Volume 2 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fgeoc.2024.1436488

Photophysiological response of glacier ice algae to abiotic stressors

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
  • 2 GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The glacier ice algae Ancylonema alaskanum and Ancylonema nordenski öldii grow in harsh dynamic environments on bare ice surfaces. In these environments, they contribute to the continuous darkening of the ice surface, which in turn accelerates the ice melt. However, investigation into their adaptation and resilience in these environments is necessary in order to understand their robustness and potential for increasing the intensity of blooms. In this study it was examined how variations in environmental parameters such as pH, salinity, light and temperature impacted the photophysiology of the glacier ice algae during a bloom in Greenland.Through in situ incubations and pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM) fluorometric measurements, the photophysiological responses of algal cells were assessed. Results suggest that light intensity significantly influences glacier ice algae photophysiology, with cells exhibiting better performance (in terms of a higher α and F v /F m ratio) under lower light intensity. Moreover, while light emerges as the primary driver of photophysiology, glacier ice algae demonstrate tolerance to a broad range of pH and temperatures four times higher than those experienced during Greenland's summer.

    Keywords: glacier ice algae, Greenland ice sheet, Ancylonema, photophysiology, Microalgae, Arctic, adaptation, stress

    Received: 22 May 2024; Accepted: 16 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Jensen, Turpin-Jelfs, Tranter, Benning and Anesio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Marie B. Jensen, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
    Alexandre Anesio, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

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