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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Global Change and the Future Ocean
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1453569

Effects of ocean acidification and nitrogen limitation on the growth and photophysiological performances of marine macroalgae Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis

Provisionally accepted
Yuling Yang Yuling Yang 1Wei Li Wei Li 2*Yahe Li Yahe Li 1Nianjun Xu Nianjun Xu 2*
  • 1 Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 2 Huangshan University, Huangshan, China

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

    To investigate the effects of ocean acidification (OA) and nitrogen limitation on macroalgae growth and photophysiological responses, Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis was cultured under two main conditions: ambient (Low CO2, LC, 390 μatm) and CO2 enriched (High CO2, HC, 1000 μatm), with low (LN, 7 μmol L -1 ) and high (HN, 56 μmol L -1 ) nitrate. High CO2 levels decreased growth under both LN and HN treatments. HC reduced Chl a, carotenoids, phycoerythrin (PE), and phycocyanin (PC) under HN conditions, while only Chl a decreased under LN conditions. NO3 - uptake rate was restricted under LN compared to HN, while HC enhanced it under HN.Net photosynthetic O2 evolution rates did not differ between CO2 and nitrate treatments. Dark respiration rates were higher under HN, further boosted by HC. The stimulated effective quantum yield (Y(II)) corresponded to decreased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) under HN conditions. Nitrate, not CO2, showed significant effects on the relative electron transport rate (rETRmax), light use efficiency (α) and saturation light intensity (Ik) that with lowered rETRmax and α under LN culture. Our results indicate that OA may negatively affect Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis growth and alter its photophysiological performance under different nutrient conditions.

    Keywords: Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis, culture, ocean acidification, Growth, nitrate, photosynthetic performance

    Received: 23 Jun 2024; Accepted: 25 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Li, Li and Xu. 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:
    Wei Li, Huangshan University, Huangshan, China
    Nianjun Xu, Huangshan University, Huangshan, China

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