Lipid degradation and photosynthetic traits after prolonged darkness in four Antarctic benthic diatoms, including the newly described species Planothidium wetzelii sp. nov. ...

• Main Authors: Juchem, Desirée P., Schimani, Katherina, Holzinger, Andreas, Permann, Charlotte, Abarca, Nélida, Skibbe, Oliver, Zimmermann, Jonas, Graeve, Martin, Karsten, Ulf
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Freie Universität Berlin 2023
• Subjects: Antarctica; benthic diatoms; photosynthesis; polar night; lipid consumption; plastid degradation; 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie; Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-40592; https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/40871

In polar regions, the microphytobenthos has important ecological functions in shallow-water habitats, such as on top of coastal sediments. This community is dominated by benthic diatoms, which contribute significantly to primary production and biogeochemical cycling while also being an important component of polar food webs. Polar diatoms are able to cope with markedly changing light conditions and prolonged periods of darkness during the polar night in Antarctica. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, five strains of Antarctic benthic diatoms were isolated in the field, and the resulting unialgal cultures were identified as four distinct species, of which one is described as a new species, Planothidium wetzelii sp. nov. All four species were thoroughly examined using physiological, cell biological, and biochemical methods over a fully controlled dark period of 3 months. The results showed that the utilization of storage lipids is one of the key mechanisms in Antarctic ...