Survival And Recovery Of Phaeocystis Antarctica (Prymnesiophyceae) From Prolonged Darkness And Freezing

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 03 Sep 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Phaeocystis antarctica is a key planktonic plant species in the Antarctic ecosystem. Its complex life cycle involves solitary and colonial morphotypes.

In parts of the Southern Ocean it must cope with freezing water temperature and complete darkness during the austral winter. To understand how this species thrives in such an extreme environment, we conducted a series of experiments in the United States McMurdo Station using natural P. antarctica assemblages.

Our results showed that Phaeocystis antarctica can survive a long period of darkness and freezing, and quickly resume its photosynthetic capacity and growth upon return to spring-time conditions.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences