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Light effects on the calcification and morphology of Padina spp. | 44601
Journal of Plant Biochemistry & Physiology

Journal of Plant Biochemistry & Physiology
Open Access

ISSN: 2329-9029

+44 1478 350008

Light effects on the calcification and morphology of Padina spp.


6th Global Summit on Plant Science

October 29-30, 2018 | Valencia, Spain

Miriam Benita, David Iluz and Dubinsky Zvy

Bar Ilan University, Israel

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Plant Biochem Physiol

Abstract :

Padina pavonica is one of the common macro-algae that inhabit coastal inter-tidal zones around the world. It is one of the two brown algae known to science today that calcifies. Padina spp. is an extracellular calcifying macroalgae with microscopic morphology of aragonite (CaCO3) needle-shaped, seeing mainly on the ventral side of the thallus as a white stripes. There are some theories about the benefits of the aragonite needles, such as protection against grazers, mechanical support in turbulent water, high radiation protection during low tides, and more. In order to understand the benefits and the evolutionary adaptation of the aragonite needles, we conducted several light gradient experiments on Padina spp. Samples Padina pavonica were collected at Tel Baruch Beach, Israel (32°N34°E). The results show that under high light the algae possessed more CaCO3 (% Wt) and with it, the color of the reproduction cells on the dorsal side of the thallus, right behind the aragonite strips, become brighter and transparent. The reproduction cells also released earlier to the water column, and their essentiality seems to be damaged. We also found that during full moon light, the aragonite stripes are 40% wider than under new moon. To conclude, this alga is well adapted to light under low tide and to the Israeli sun radiation which shines most of the year. Furthermore, the calcification of the needle-shaped aragonite in the thallus of Padina spp. could possibly be an adaptation to the high light energy allowing the algae to settle and dominate the coastal regions. Recent Publications 1. Sherman A, Rubinstein M, Eshed R, Benita M, Ish Shalom M, Sharabi Schwager M, Rozen A, Saada D, Cohen Y and Ophir R (2015) Mango (Mangifera indica L.) germplasm diversity based on single nucleotide polymorphisms derived from the transcriptome. BMC Plant Biology 15:277. 2. Benita M, Dubinsky Z and Iluz David (2018) Padina pavonica: morphology and calcification functions and mechanism. American Journal of Plant Science 9(6):1156-1168.

Biography :

Miriam Benita has her BSc in Life Science at the Open University, Israel; MSc in Marin Biology at Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, and a present PhD Marine Biology student at Bar-Ilan University. Her research is on the macro-algae Padina spp. which grows on abrasion platforms on the Israeli shores. Her research focus on the morphology of the Padina spp. and the unique pattern in which the algae precipitate CaCO3 in the young part of the frond compare to the old part, and the evolutionary necessity of this precipitation.

E-mail: miriamzarbiv@gmail.com

 

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