Preprint Article Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

Permanent Stress Adaptation and Unexpected High Light Tolerance in the Shade-Adapted Chlamydomonas Priscuii

Version 1 : Received: 21 July 2024 / Approved: 22 July 2024 / Online: 22 July 2024 (11:50:34 CEST)

How to cite: Popson, D.; D'Silva, S.; Wheeless, K.; Morgan-Kiss, R. Permanent Stress Adaptation and Unexpected High Light Tolerance in the Shade-Adapted Chlamydomonas Priscuii. Preprints 2024, 2024071708. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1708.v1 Popson, D.; D'Silva, S.; Wheeless, K.; Morgan-Kiss, R. Permanent Stress Adaptation and Unexpected High Light Tolerance in the Shade-Adapted Chlamydomonas Priscuii. Preprints 2024, 2024071708. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1708.v1

Abstract

The Antarctic photopsychrophile, Chlamydomonas priscuii UWO241 is adapted to extreme environmental conditions, including permanent low temperatures, high salt and shade. During long-term exposure to this extreme habitat, UWO241 appears to have lost several short-term mechanisms in favor of constitutive protection against environmental stress. This study investigated physiological and growth responses of UWO241 to high light conditions, evaluating the impacts of long-term acclimation to high light, low temperature, and high salinity on its ability to manage short-term photoinhibition. We found that UWO241 significantly increased its growth rate and photosynthetic activity at growth irradiances far exceeding native light conditions. Furthermore, UWO241 exhibited robust protection against short-term photoinhibition, particularly in photosystem I. Last, pre-acclimation to high light or low temperatures, but not high salinity, enhanced photoinhibition tolerance. These findings extend our understanding for stress tolerance in extremophilic algae. In the past 2 decades climate change-related increasing glacial stream flow has perturbed long-term stable conditions: in the form of has been associated with lake level rise, thinning of ice covers, and expansion of ice-free perimeters. Our findings have implications on phytoplankton survival and response to change scenarios in the light-limited environment of Antarctic ice-covered lakes.

Keywords

photoinhibition; photo-acclimation; extremophile; cyclic electron flow; environmental change

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Plant Sciences

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