Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica
Abstract In Antarctica, mass accumulations of psychrophilic algae cause striking phenomena like green, orange, or red snow. This occurs during summer, when coastal snowfields start to melt, become waterlogged and photoautotrophs can thrive. Chloromonas polyptera (Fritsch) Hoham, Mullet & Roemer...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102013000060 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102013000060 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0954102013000060 2024-05-19T07:31:07+00:00 Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica Remias, Daniel Wastian, Hans Lütz, Cornelius Leya, Thomas 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102013000060 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102013000060 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Antarctic Science volume 25, issue 5, page 648-656 ISSN 0954-1020 1365-2079 journal-article 2013 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954102013000060 2024-04-25T06:51:43Z Abstract In Antarctica, mass accumulations of psychrophilic algae cause striking phenomena like green, orange, or red snow. This occurs during summer, when coastal snowfields start to melt, become waterlogged and photoautotrophs can thrive. Chloromonas polyptera (Fritsch) Hoham, Mullet & Roemer is a unicellular species that causes orange snow in the vicinity of penguin rockeries. It has been recognized for many decades because of the distinct habitat and the characteristic morphology of cysts with elongated flanges on the outer cell wall. However, closer investigations concerning the ecology or physiology have been sparse so far. Field material was collected from two sites on the Antarctic Peninsula to find out more about metabolic and cellular strategies. The results were compared with a closely related species from high alpine locations, Chloromonas nivalis (Chodat) Hoham & Mullet. Despite the geographical distance, C. polyptera shares several physiological strategies with the alpine relative, such as the formation of cyst stages, saccharose and glycerol as main soluble carbohydrates and the abundant accumulation of the carotenoid astaxanthin. Moreover, photosynthesis is adapted to temperatures of about 1°C. The molecular phylogeny confirmed a close relationship of C. polyptera to other Chloromonas species isolated from snow. Chloromonas polyptera seems to be exclusive to coastal Antarctic ecosystems influenced by animal nutrient input. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Science Antarctica Cambridge University Press Antarctic Science 25 5 648 656 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract In Antarctica, mass accumulations of psychrophilic algae cause striking phenomena like green, orange, or red snow. This occurs during summer, when coastal snowfields start to melt, become waterlogged and photoautotrophs can thrive. Chloromonas polyptera (Fritsch) Hoham, Mullet & Roemer is a unicellular species that causes orange snow in the vicinity of penguin rockeries. It has been recognized for many decades because of the distinct habitat and the characteristic morphology of cysts with elongated flanges on the outer cell wall. However, closer investigations concerning the ecology or physiology have been sparse so far. Field material was collected from two sites on the Antarctic Peninsula to find out more about metabolic and cellular strategies. The results were compared with a closely related species from high alpine locations, Chloromonas nivalis (Chodat) Hoham & Mullet. Despite the geographical distance, C. polyptera shares several physiological strategies with the alpine relative, such as the formation of cyst stages, saccharose and glycerol as main soluble carbohydrates and the abundant accumulation of the carotenoid astaxanthin. Moreover, photosynthesis is adapted to temperatures of about 1°C. The molecular phylogeny confirmed a close relationship of C. polyptera to other Chloromonas species isolated from snow. Chloromonas polyptera seems to be exclusive to coastal Antarctic ecosystems influenced by animal nutrient input. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Remias, Daniel Wastian, Hans Lütz, Cornelius Leya, Thomas |
spellingShingle |
Remias, Daniel Wastian, Hans Lütz, Cornelius Leya, Thomas Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica |
author_facet |
Remias, Daniel Wastian, Hans Lütz, Cornelius Leya, Thomas |
author_sort |
Remias, Daniel |
title |
Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica |
title_short |
Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica |
title_full |
Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica |
title_sort |
insights into the biology and phylogeny of chloromonas polyptera (chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in maritime antarctica |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102013000060 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102013000060 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Science Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Science Antarctica |
op_source |
Antarctic Science volume 25, issue 5, page 648-656 ISSN 0954-1020 1365-2079 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954102013000060 |
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Antarctic Science |
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25 |
container_issue |
5 |
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648 |
op_container_end_page |
656 |
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1799468969512402944 |