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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Global Change and the Future Ocean
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1432937
This article is part of the Research Topic Impacts of Climate Change on Seaweeds View all articles

Photosynthetic performances and antioxidant activities of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis are sensitive to phosphorus deficiency under elevated temperature

Provisionally accepted
Di Zhang Di Zhang 1*Jia-Zhen Sun Jia-Zhen Sun 2Ming-Hui Fu Ming-Hui Fu 1Chang-Jun Li Chang-Jun Li 1
  • 1 Yantai University, Yantai, China
  • 2 Hubei Biopesticide Engineering Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China

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

    Due to anthropogenic input of nutrients and emissions of greenhouse gases, macroalgae inhabited in coastal area often experienced drastic fluctuations in nutrients and seawater warming. In this work, we investigated the photosynthetic performance and antioxidant responses of the commercially important red macroalgae Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis under four different nutrients conditions at 20℃ and 23℃. Our results showed that the enrichments of NO3 -and PO4 3-(high concentrations of N and P, denoted as HNHP) significantly enhanced photosynthesis and growth by up to 42% and 66% for net photosynthesis rate and 83% and 134% for relative growth rate (RGR) under 20℃ and 23℃, respectively, compared with natural seawater (low concentrations of N and P, denoted as LNLP). However, enriching only with PO4 3- (low concentration of N and high concentration of P, denoted as LNHP) or NO3 - (high concentration of N and low concentration of P, denoted as HNLP) brought no significant change in RGR. A two-way ANOVA analysis revealed an interaction between nutrients variations and temperature, with elevated temperature intensifying the inhibition observed under HNLP conditions. To further elucidate this interaction, we assessed the damage and recovery processes of the photosynthetic apparatus, along with the antioxidant activities. The increased damage (k) and reduced recovery (r) rates of PSII in both LNLP and HNLP conditions indicated a heightened susceptibility to photoinhibition in G. lemaneiformis, leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and exacerbated oxidative stress, culminating in decreased photosynthesis and growth rates. Under higher temperature, these phosphorus deficiency-induced inhibitions were amplified, as evidenced by increases in k values and ROS contents, coupled with a decrease of r values. In summary, our data suggest that the photosynthetic performances and growth of G. lemaneiformis are vulnerable to phosphorus deficiency, particularly in the context of future ocean warming.Consequently, phosphorus fertilization during cultivation warrants more attention.

    Keywords: Antioxidant Enzymes, Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis, Nutrients variations, ocean warming, Photosynthesis

    Received: 15 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Sun, Fu and Li. 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: Di Zhang, Yantai University, Yantai, China

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