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Freezing tolerance in the intertidal red algaeChondrus crispus andMastocarpus stellatus: Relative importance of acclimation and adaptation

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Abstract

The effect of repeated daily freezing on photosynthesis, growth and phenotypic acclimation to freezing was studied in the red algaeChondrus crispus Stackhouse andMastocarpus stellatus (Stackhouse in With.) Guiry. Algae used for experiments were collected from Chamberlain, Maine, between March and August 1987, and field observations and experiments were carried out at Chamberlain and Kresge Point, Maine between March 1987 and March 1989. After ca 30 d of daily freezing for 3 h at −5°C photosynthesis ofC. crispus was reduced to 55% of control values. Growth rates ofC. crispus were also reduced in fronds frozen daily compared to unfrozen controls, and eventually fronds became bleached and fragmented resulting in biomass losses. Fronds ofC. crispus, frozen daily, had higher photosynthetic rates following freezing events than unfrozen controls indicating that this species can acclimate to freezing conditions. Acclimation to freezing involves the light-harvesting reactions of photosynthesis. In contrast, photosynthesis and growth inM. stellatus were unaffected by repeated daily freezing for 3 h at −5°C for 36 d. No differences in photosynthesis following freezing were observed between frozen and control fronds suggesting thatM. stellatus does not phenotypically acclimate to freezing. The greater freezing tolerance ofM. stellatus relative toC. crispus results, in part, from genetic adaptations associated with plasma membranes and the light-harvesting reactions of photosynthesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Center for Marine Studies, University of Maine, 04469, Orono, Maine, USA

    S. R. Dudgeon, I. R. Davison & R. L. Vadas

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  1. S. R. Dudgeon
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  2. I. R. Davison
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  3. R. L. Vadas
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Communicated by J. Grassle, Woods Hole

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Dudgeon, S.R., Davison, I.R. & Vadas, R.L. Freezing tolerance in the intertidal red algaeChondrus crispus andMastocarpus stellatus: Relative importance of acclimation and adaptation. Mar. Biol. 106, 427–436 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344323

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344323

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