engleski

Does temperature induce response in algal cell surface properties and behaviour?

Despite an interest in studies on the effect of temperature on algal growth dynamics for applicative usage, very little is known about the microalgal surface properties and physiological behaviour on the single-cell level, and the ecological implications. Therefore, we investigated the temperature-induced response (at 12, 18 and 30°C) in the surface properties and behaviour of three marine algae (D. tertiolecta, T. suecica, C. closterium) by combining complementary surface methods, under controlled laboratory conditions. Results show that selected algal species successfully adapt to all tested temperatures by maintaining the overall shape, without nanostructural changes on the cell surface. Further, temperature induces change in physiological activity in terms of the concentration and structural organisation of released extracellular polymers ranging from fibrils, aggregated particles to dense network. The highest physiological activity was determined in C. closterium, then in D. tertiolecta, while the lowest in the cells of T. suecica. Additionally, the surface properties of algal cells were both species-specific and temperature- dependent. The cell stiffness increases in sequence from Dunaliella˂ Tetraselmis˂Cylindrotheca reflecting the structural features of the cell barrier. All cells stiffen at 12°C and become more compliant at higher temperatures. Temperature increase causes a disbalance in the cell hydrophobicity. D. tertiolecta and T. suecica demonstrated strongly hydrophilic character at lower and higher temperature, whilst C. closterium behaved the most hydrophilic at 18°C and the most hydrophobic at 30°C which could be related to structural modification of the cell wall. This study demonstrated that the surface properties provide a detectable change to measure the species-specific and temperature-dependent differences in the adaptive response of algal cells, thus enabling a better understanding of algal responses to the environmental shifts induced by climate change.

algae ; cell adhesion ; surface properties

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