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Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2013

Daniel Remias ,
Hans Wastian ,
Cornelius Lütz  and
Thomas Leya
Daniel Remias*
Affiliation:
Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80–82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Hans Wastian
Affiliation:
Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Cornelius Lütz
Affiliation:
Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Thomas Leya
Affiliation:
Fraunhofer IBMT, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

In Antarctica, mass accumulations of psychrophilic algae cause striking phenomena like green, orange, or red snow. This occurs during summer, when coastal snowfields start to melt, become waterlogged and photoautotrophs can thrive. Chloromonas polyptera (Fritsch) Hoham, Mullet & Roemer is a unicellular species that causes orange snow in the vicinity of penguin rockeries. It has been recognized for many decades because of the distinct habitat and the characteristic morphology of cysts with elongated flanges on the outer cell wall. However, closer investigations concerning the ecology or physiology have been sparse so far. Field material was collected from two sites on the Antarctic Peninsula to find out more about metabolic and cellular strategies. The results were compared with a closely related species from high alpine locations, Chloromonas nivalis (Chodat) Hoham & Mullet. Despite the geographical distance, C. polyptera shares several physiological strategies with the alpine relative, such as the formation of cyst stages, saccharose and glycerol as main soluble carbohydrates and the abundant accumulation of the carotenoid astaxanthin. Moreover, photosynthesis is adapted to temperatures of about 1°C. The molecular phylogeny confirmed a close relationship of C. polyptera to other Chloromonas species isolated from snow. Chloromonas polyptera seems to be exclusive to coastal Antarctic ecosystems influenced by animal nutrient input.

Keywords

astaxanthinChloromonas nivalisphotosynthesispsychrophilicsoluble carbohydrates
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2013 , pp. 648 - 656
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013 

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