Steady state osmotic adaptation in Ulva lactuca

The effects of hyper- and hypo-saline stresses on the levels of various inorganic and organic solutes in Ulva lactuca have been recorded. Hypo-osmotic stress decreased the tissue concentration of K+, Na+ and Cl- while hyper-osmotic stress caused a transient increase in Na+ and a stable accumulation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Planta 1980, Vol.150 (2), p.158-165
Main Authors: Dickson, D.M, Wyn Jones, R.G, Davenport, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Amino acids
Confidence interval
Osmoregulation
Osmosis
Salinity
Sea water
Sugars
Tissue paper
Turgor pressure
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The effects of hyper- and hypo-saline stresses on the levels of various inorganic and organic solutes in Ulva lactuca have been recorded. Hypo-osmotic stress decreased the tissue concentration of K+, Na+ and Cl- while hyper-osmotic stress caused a transient increase in Na+ and a stable accumulation of K+ and Cl-. The tissue content of β-dimethylsulphoniopropionate (β-dimethylpropiothetin) responded to changes in salinity. The time course of hypersaline stress showed the β-dimethylsulphoniopropionate concentration rose as the Na+ level fell. The levels of free sugars and amino acids, including proline, were relatively low in this alga and did not appear to be important in osmotic adjustment. The possibility that tertiary sulphonium dipolar ions have an analogous role in some algae to glycinebetaine and possibly other quaternary nitrogen compounds in higher plants as cytoplasmic osmotica is discussed briefly.
ISSN:0032-0935
1432-2048
DOI:10.1007/BF00582360