Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species
Mixotrophic ciliate assemblages often prevail in summer in the surface layers of lakes. During this time, they are potentially exposed to damaging levels of incident solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and need efficient photoprotective mechanisms to minimize the damage. Herein, we tested the algal-be...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/6/252 |
| _version_ | 1827714533169299456 |
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| author | Bettina Sonntag Ruben Sommaruga |
| author_facet | Bettina Sonntag Ruben Sommaruga |
| author_sort | Bettina Sonntag |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mixotrophic ciliate assemblages often prevail in summer in the surface layers of lakes. During this time, they are potentially exposed to damaging levels of incident solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and need efficient photoprotective mechanisms to minimize the damage. Herein, we tested the algal-bearing species of <i>Pelagodileptus trachelioides</i>, <i>Stokesia vernalis,</i> and <i>Vorticella chlorellata</i> for how they handled stress under exposure to the artificial sunlight spectrum (i.e., UV treatment), just photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), or in the dark (i.e., control). In addition to measurements of their survival, changes in behavior, shape, and whether dark or photoenzymatic repair (PER) mechanisms are present, we measured the concentration of UV-absorbing compounds (i.e., mycosporine-like amino acids). In contrast to the response in the PAR and dark treatments, sublethal effects were observed in all species when exposed to UVR. A wavelength-specific test for <i>P. trachelioides</i> revealed that UV-B was especially lethal. These results suggest that the photoprotective mechanisms found in these ciliates are not sufficient to allow for their survival directly at the surface and that, accordingly, they need to shift their position further down in the water column. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:59:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2e1d8e6aa88d4247aeb13f4eb2dc4923 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:59:57Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-2e1d8e6aa88d4247aeb13f4eb2dc49232023-11-20T04:27:34ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182020-06-0112625210.3390/d12060252Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate SpeciesBettina Sonntag0Ruben Sommaruga1Research Department for Limnology, Mondsee, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, A-5310 Mondsee, AustriaDepartment of Ecology, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, AustriaMixotrophic ciliate assemblages often prevail in summer in the surface layers of lakes. During this time, they are potentially exposed to damaging levels of incident solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and need efficient photoprotective mechanisms to minimize the damage. Herein, we tested the algal-bearing species of <i>Pelagodileptus trachelioides</i>, <i>Stokesia vernalis,</i> and <i>Vorticella chlorellata</i> for how they handled stress under exposure to the artificial sunlight spectrum (i.e., UV treatment), just photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), or in the dark (i.e., control). In addition to measurements of their survival, changes in behavior, shape, and whether dark or photoenzymatic repair (PER) mechanisms are present, we measured the concentration of UV-absorbing compounds (i.e., mycosporine-like amino acids). In contrast to the response in the PAR and dark treatments, sublethal effects were observed in all species when exposed to UVR. A wavelength-specific test for <i>P. trachelioides</i> revealed that UV-B was especially lethal. These results suggest that the photoprotective mechanisms found in these ciliates are not sufficient to allow for their survival directly at the surface and that, accordingly, they need to shift their position further down in the water column.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/6/252algal-ciliate symbiosismycosporine-like amino acids<i>Pelagodileptus trachelioides</i>planktonic freshwater ciliates<i>Stokesia vernalis</i><i>Vorticella chlorellata</i> |
| spellingShingle | Bettina Sonntag Ruben Sommaruga Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species Diversity algal-ciliate symbiosis mycosporine-like amino acids <i>Pelagodileptus trachelioides</i> planktonic freshwater ciliates <i>Stokesia vernalis</i> <i>Vorticella chlorellata</i> |
| title | Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species |
| title_full | Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species |
| title_short | Effectiveness of Photoprotective Strategies in Three Mixotrophic Planktonic Ciliate Species |
| title_sort | effectiveness of photoprotective strategies in three mixotrophic planktonic ciliate species |
| topic | algal-ciliate symbiosis mycosporine-like amino acids <i>Pelagodileptus trachelioides</i> planktonic freshwater ciliates <i>Stokesia vernalis</i> <i>Vorticella chlorellata</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/6/252 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bettinasonntag effectivenessofphotoprotectivestrategiesinthreemixotrophicplanktonicciliatespecies AT rubensommaruga effectivenessofphotoprotectivestrategiesinthreemixotrophicplanktonicciliatespecies |