Interactive effects of irradiance and temperature on the photosynthetic physiology of the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia granii (Bacillariophyceae) from the northeast subarctic Pacific

This study examined how light and temperature interact to influence growth rates, chl a, and photosynthetic efficiency of the oceanic pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia granii Hasle, isolated from the northeast subarctic Pacific. Growth rates were modulated by both light and temperature, although for each irradiance tested, the growth rate was always the greatest at similar to 14 degrees C. Chl a per cell was affected primarily by temperature, except at the maximum chl a per cell (at 10 degrees C) where the effects of light were noticeable. At both ends of the temperature gradient, cells displayed evidence of chlorosis even at low light intensities. Chl fluorescence data suggested that cells at 8 degrees C were significantly more efficient in their photosynthetic processes than cells at 20 degrees C, despite having comparable concentrations of chl. Cells at low temperature showed photosynthetic characteristics similar to high-irradiance-adapted cells. The decline of growth rates beyond the optimum growth temperature coincided with the cell’s inability to accumulate chl in response to increasing temperature. The decline in photosynthetic ability at 20 degrees C was likely due to a combination of high-temperature stress on cellular membranes and a decline in chl. Our results highlight the important interactions between light and temperature and the need to incorporate these interactions into the development of phytoplankton models for the subarctic Pacific.