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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 May; 49(5): 1046-1052
Copyright © 1985, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Adaptation to High-Intensity, Low-Wavelength Light among Surface Blooms of the Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa

Hans W. Paerl*, Patricia T. Bland, N. Dean Bowles and Mark E. Haibach

Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina, Morehead City, North Carolina 28557

ABSTRACT

Natural populations of the nuisance bloom cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa obtained from the eutrophic Neuse River, N.C., revealed optimal chlorophyll a-normalized photosynthetic rates and resistance to photoinhibition at surface photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intensities. At saturating PAR levels these populations exhibited higher photosynthetic rates in quartz than in Pyrex vessels. Eucaryotic algal populations obtained from the same river failed to counteract photoinhibition. At saturating PAR levels, such populations generally yielded lower photosynthetic rates in quartz containers than they did in Pyrex containers. Cultivation of natural Microcystis populations under laboratory conditions led to physiologically distinct populations which had photoinhibitory characteristics similar to those of other cultured cyanobacterial and eucaryotic algae. Our findings indicate that (i) photosynthetic production among natural surface populations is best characterized and quantified in quartz rather than Pyrex incubation vessels; (ii) extrapolation of natural photoinhibitory trends from laboratory populations is highly subjective to culture and PAR histories and may yield contradictory results; and (iii) buoyant surface-dwelling populations, rather than exhibiting senescence, are poised at optimizing PAR utilization, thereby maintaining numerical dominance in eutrophic waters when physico-chemical conditions favor bloom formation.

FOOTNOTES

* Corresponding author.

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 May; 49(5): 1046-1052
Copyright © 1985, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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Copyright © 1985 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.