EFFECTS OF ULTRAVIOLET-A RADIATION AND NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY ON THE CELLULAR COMPOSITION OF PHOTOPROTECTIVE COMPOUNDS IN GLENODINIUM FOLIACEUM (DINOPHYCEAE)

The photoprotective response in the dinoflagellate Glenodinium foliaceum F. Stein exposed to ultraviolet- A (UVA) radiation (320-400 nm; 1.7 W . m(2)) and the effect of nitrate and phosphate availability on that response have been studied. Parameters measured over a 14 d growth period in control (PAR) and experimental (PAR + UVA) cultures included cellular mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), chls, carotenoids, and culture growth rates. Although there were no significant effects of UVA on growth rate, there was significant induction of MAA compounds (28 +/- 2 pg . cell(-1)) and a reduction in chl a (9.6 +/- 0.1 pg . cell(-1)) and fucoxanthin (4.4 +/- 0.1 pg . cell(-1)) compared to the control cultures (3 +/- 1 pg . cell(-1), 13.3 +/- 3.2 pg . cell(-1), and 7.4 +/- 0.3 pg . cell(-1), respectively). In a second investigation, MAA concentrations in UVA- exposed cultures were lower when nitrate was limited (P < 0.05) but were higher when phosphate was limiting. Nitrate limitation led to significant decreases (P < 0.05) in cellular concentration of chls (chl c(1), chl c(2), and chl a), but other pigments were not affected. Phosphate availability had no effect on final pigment concentrations. Results suggest that nutrient availability significantly affects cellular accumulation of photoprotective compounds in G. foliaceum exposed to UVA.