Adaptations of Cyanobacteria to High Solar Irradiance: UV- shielding Compounds

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Many cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce a yellow pigment in the sheaths or capsules surrounding their cells when exposed to high intensity sunlight. The goal of this project is to determine the chemical nature of this pigment, and to assess its effectiveness in protecting these organisms from the harmful effects of short wave solar radiation, in particular, ultra- violet radiation. The experiments will use laboratory cultures and will determine the various effects of normal and enhanced levels of ultra-violet radiation on photosynthesis, growth , and survival, with and without the protective pigment. This research is particularly relevant because stratospheric ozone depletion may result in significantly greater levels of ultra-violet radiation. It is important to understand all the "strategies" employed by living organisms to protect against this potentially damaging radiation. Shielding by sheath pigments in cyanobacteria may represent one of the earliest and most primitive adaptations to excess light and short-wave radiation.