Reduction in growth rate in Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae) and Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyceae) induced by UV-B radiation.

The effect of UV-B radiation (UVBR, 280-315 nm) on growth rate during 72 h of incubation, was measured for two marine microalgae -Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyceae) and Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae). The resulting inhibition of growth rate was analysed by calculating biological weighting functions (BWFs). The growth rate of D. tertiolecta was slightly more inhibited by UVBR (over the whole range of the spectrum) than was the growth rate of P. tricornutum, but the wavelength dependencies were the same. Our results were compared with results from photosynthesis experiments of Andreasson and Wängberg [1] , where two methods, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorescence and carbon fixation, were measured for these same algae. The BWF for the growth rate, here, showed more wavelength dependency than the BWF for the previous two photosynthesis measurements - except for the carbon fixation BWF in P. tricornutum, which was closer to the BWF for growth rate. The wavelength dependency of the growth rate inhibition showed less variation between the species than the inhibition of the photosynthesis.

Biological weighting functions as a tool for evaluating two ways to measure UVB radiation inhibition on photosynthesis.

To estimate the inhibitory effect of the changing UVB radiation (UVBR, 280-315nm) on earth's ecosystems, an understanding of its wavelength dependency is needed. The tool used for these estimations is the biological weighting function (BWF), whereby the inhibition of different wavelengths is calculated. BWFs were determined for three algae species from different classes, Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae), Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyceae) and Rhodomonas sp. (Cryptophyceae), using polychromatic irradiation, where the UVBR spectra were varied with cut-off filters. For each alga, BWFs were determined for two photosynthetic parameters; the quantum yield measured as fluorescence from Photo System II in a pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM) fluorometer, and the fixation of (14)C-labelled carbon dioxide. The BWFs were calculated with the Rundel method, using the radiation data between 270 and 360nm with 1nm resolution. The results show that the UVBR damages were generally higher when using the carbon fixation measurements than when measuring with the PAM technique. When using PAM, P. tricornutum in particular had a sensitivity intermediate between the sensitive Rhodomonas sp. and the more tolerant D. tertiolecta, but was as sensitive as, or even more sensitive, than Rhodomonas sp. when using carbon fixation. D. tertiolecta was shown to be less sensitive when using both techniques and the inhibition of its photosynthesis was almost as high when using PAM as when using carbon fixation. We concluded that, although the PAM technique has advantages such as being cleaner and easier to use, it is unable to substitute the carbon fixation measurements. Not only are the algae less sensitive when measured with PAM than they are when measured as carbon fixation, the relationship between the effects on the algae measured with the two techniques also differs. As fixation of carbon dioxide integrates a larger part of the photosynthetic machinery, it should be favoured as a measure of photosynthesis.