Photosynthetic performance of the red algae Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis under high seawater pH: Excess reactive oxygen production due to carbon limitation.

Abstract

The red algae Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis is extensively cultivated at high densities, leading to significant increases in regional seawater pH due to its photosynthetic removal of inorganic carbon. We conducted a study on G. lemaneiformis cultured under various pH conditions (normal pH, pH 9.3, and pH 9.6) and light levels (dark and 100 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1) to investigate how high pH seawater environments affect the metabolic processes of G. lemaneiformis. The high pH did not directly damage the photosynthetic light reactions or the Calvin cycle. Instead, the observed reduction in photosynthetic rates was primarily due to CO₂ limitation. However, under illuminated conditions, a high pH environment leads to a decrease in electron transport efficiency (ETo/RC) and reaction center density (RC/CSo), while simultaneously increasing the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Under illuminated conditions, the limitation of inhibit the photosynthetic electron transport process, leading to energy imbalance and excessive production of reactive oxygen species, which in turn resulted in lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane. This might be one of the inducing factors responsible for the bleaching in sea-farmed G. lemaneiformis plants.