Comparative study of carrageenans from reproductive and sterile forms of Tichocarpus crinitus (Gmel.) Rupr (Rhodophyta, Tichocarpaceae).

A comparative study of the structure and properties of the sulfated polysaccharides (carrageenans) isolated from the vegetative and reproductive forms of the red alga Tichocarpus crinitus was performed. The polysaccharides were separated into the gelling (KCl-insoluble) and non-gelling (KCl-soluble) fractions by precipitation with 4% KCl. The total content of polysaccharides extracted from the reproductive form of the alga was 1.8-fold more than that extracted from the vegetative form, and in the first case, the gelling polysaccharides mostly accumulated. The gelling polysaccharides from the vegetative form have the highest molecular weight (354 kD). According to the results of FT-IR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, the gelling polysaccharide fractions from both forms are kappa/beta carrageenans. The differences concern the content of the kappa- and beta-disaccharide units and the presence of a small content of the sulfated disaccharide segments (precursors of the kappa-carrageenans) in the polysaccharide from the reproductive form of the alga. The non-gelling polysaccharide fractions from both forms of the plant are mixtures of sulfated galactans with a low content of 3,6-anhydrogalactose.

Response of prostaglandin content in the red alga Gracilaria verrucosa to season and solar irradiance.

The influence of solar irradiance and seasons on prostaglandin (PG) and arachidonic acid (AA) content in the marine red alga Gracilaria verrucosa (Huds.) Papenf. (unattached form) was investigated. PGA(2), PGE(2), PGF(2), and 15-keto-PGE(2) were isolated from the alga, quantitatively analyzed as 4-methyl-7-methoxycoumarin esters by high-performance liquid chromatography, and their chemical structures were confirmed by 1H NMR. In June-September, the PG content in the alga was relatively stable (420 microg/g of dry wt. of PGE(2)+PGF(2); 40 microg/g of PGA(2)) and it increased 1.5 times in October. The highest level of PGs was detected in November (2500 microg/g of PGE(2)+PGF(2); 74 microg/g of PGA(2)) when water temperature was fairly low (5-10 degrees C). Algae grown for five months at 50% of incident photosynthetic active radiation (PAR(0)) contained two times less PGE(2) and PGF(2) than algae grown under natural conditions, but the amount of these PG in algae grown at 5% of PAR(0) was close to the normal level. On the contrary, when algae were grown at 5% of PAR(0) the content of PGA(2) increased up to 4 times compared to algae cultivated at 100% PAR(0). In June-November, the amount of AA in total algal lipids slightly varied from 48.9 to 56.7% and did not virtually depend on the light intensity. The probable reasons of the PG content variation in response to environmental factors are discussed.

Photo-acclimation of the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata while subjected to either starvation or food provisioning.

This study investigated the photo-acclimation capacity of the coral Stylophora pistillata (Esper). Outer branches of coral colonies, taken from 2 m, were subjected to 90, 20, or 3% of incident surface photosynthetic active radiation (PAR(0)), or kept in total darkness. The corals were maintained either in filtered seawater (i.e., under starvation), or in seawater that had daily additions of zooplankton (rotifers). The experiments were maintained for 31 days. Zooxanthellae population densities and chlorophyll concentrations increased in S. pistillata fragments subjected to 20 and 3% PAR(0). The zooxanthellae densities decreased after 6 days in corals kept in total darkness, although chlorophyll concentrations remained higher. Corals that were fed and subjected to 90% PAR(0) showed lower degrading zooxanthellae frequencies, higher photosynthetic and respiration rates, and higher chlorophyll concentrations than corals in the same light regime under starvation. Complete acclimation to dim (20% PAR(0)) and low (3% PAR(0)) light was only apparent for corals fed with zooplankton. Changes in zooxanthellae population densities occurred through differential rates of zooxanthellae division and degradation.