CHARACTERIZING AND QUANTIFYING PHOTOINHIBITION IN INTERTIDAL MICROPHYTOBENTHOS

This study characterizes the short-term influence of the sustained saturating irradiance encountered by the microphytobenthos inhabiting intertidal mudflats. The kinetics of photoinhibition in epipelic microalgae from intertidal mudflats were investigated in the laboratory. Previously isolated benth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of phycology 2004-08, Vol.40 (4), p.692-696
Main Authors: Blanchard, Gérard F., Guarini, Jean-Marc, Dang, Christian, Richard, Pierre
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
dynamic model
epipelic microalgae
intertidal
mudflat
photoinhibition
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Summary:This study characterizes the short-term influence of the sustained saturating irradiance encountered by the microphytobenthos inhabiting intertidal mudflats. The kinetics of photoinhibition in epipelic microalgae from intertidal mudflats were investigated in the laboratory. Previously isolated benthic microalgae were exposed to a saturating photon flux density (PFD) for periods ranging from 0 to 180 min; every 30 min, a photosynthesis-irradiance curve was established to quantify the effect of the saturating PFD on both parameters alpha super(B), the photosynthetic efficiency, and P sub(m) super(B), the photosynthetic capacity. The alpha super(B) decreased from the beginning of light exposure until the end, whereas P sub(m) super(B) first slightly increased and then diminished from 90 min exposure onward. It turned out that epipelic microphytobenthos undergoes photoinhibition after about 90 min of saturating PFD. The possible ecological consequences of these ecophysiological results are discussed.
ISSN:0022-3646
1529-8817
DOI:10.1111/j.1529-8817.2004.03063.x