Epilithic Chamaesiphon (Synechococcales, Cyanobacteria) species in mountain streams of the Alps-interspecific differences in photo-physiological traits

Journal of Applied Phycology
Siegfried AignerUlf Karsten

Abstract

Many alpine streams inhabit conspicuous epilithic biofilms on pebbles and rocks that are formed by members of the cyanobacterial genus Chamaesiphon (Synechococcales). In the Austrian Alps, some Chamaesiphon species can even overgrow up to 70% of the surface of river rocks, and hence they must play an important but still unstudied ecological role in the organic matter flux. Since photo-biological traits have not been investigated so far, photosynthetic features, pigments, and UV-sunscreen compounds were studied in three Chamaesiphon morphospecies (C. geitleri, C. polonicus, C. starmachii). These species form conspicuously differently colored spots on cobbles and boulders in the alpine streams. While C. polonicus typically forms red crusts on flat pebble conglomerate, C. geitleri and C. starmachii are characterized by dark brown and black biofilms in the field, respectively. Photosynthesis-irradiance (PE) curves indicate that all three Chamaesiphon species have different light requirements for photosynthesis, with C. starmachii and C. polonicus preferring high and low photon fluence rates, respectively, while C. geitleri takes a position in between. This low-light requirement of C. polonicus is also reflected in ca. ten-times low...Continue Reading

References

Jul 13, 2011·Marine Drugs·Shinichi Takaichi
Dec 1, 1974·Oecologia·Warren L WebbDuane Starr
Jun 15, 2017·Frontiers in Microbiology·Martin AlbrechtRhena Schumann

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