Effects of multiple abiotic stresses on gene expression in Saccharina latissima (Phaeophyceae)
Marine macroalgae are globally distributed on rocky coastal shores, from tropical to polar regions. They are important marine coastal primary producers, and of particular importance to the function of many ecosystems. Kelps, brown algae of the order Laminariales, dominate rocky shores of cold-temper...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | unknown |
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2012
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| Online Access: | https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/32300/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/32300/1/Thesis_Heinrich_2012.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.40923 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.40923.d001 |
| Summary: | Marine macroalgae are globally distributed on rocky coastal shores, from tropical to polar regions. They are important marine coastal primary producers, and of particular importance to the function of many ecosystems. Kelps, brown algae of the order Laminariales, dominate rocky shores of cold-temperate regions. There, they help to structure the biodiversity of coastal ecosystems by forming huge forests, which provide habitats and nurseries for various marine organisms. The distribution of kelps is constrained by abiotic factors like light including UV radiation and temperature. Future global environmental changes could therefore have a potentially significant impact on geographic distribution patterns, vertical zonation, and primary productivity of kelp. The basic physiological and ecophysiological characteristics of kelps are well studied. Several physiological studies have been performed on kelp, primarily on the effects of single abiotic stressors, e.g. UV radiation and temperature. Only a few projects have focused on the interactive effects of multiple stresses. So far, no study is available on the molecular processes underlying physiological acclimation to abiotic stress factors in these important organisms. This thesis represents the first large-scale transcriptomic study of acclimation to abiotic stress in a kelp species, and aims on investigating molecular mechanisms underlying physiological acclimation to multiple abiotic stresses in Saccharina latissima from the Arctic (Spitsbergen). Young sporophytes of Saccharina latissima were exposed in multifactorial experiments to different combinations of photosynthetically active radiation, UV radiation and temperature for durations of 8h, 24h and 2 weeks. In order to observe the degree of photoinhibition in response to different exposure conditions, maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm) was measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiments. A cDNA library from RNA sampled under various light and temperature regimes was constructed for subsequent ... |
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