induced by dessication in Porphyra columbina (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) Loreto Contreras-Porcia, Daniel Thomas, Veronica Flores and Juan A. Correa 22 October 2010
Rhodophyta (red algae)
are a distinct eukaryotic lineage
characterized by the accessory photosynthetic pigments phycoerythrin and phycocyanin . This is a large assemblage of between 2500 and 6000 species in about 670 largely marine genera Some red algae are economically important as providers of food and gels. For this reason, extensive farming and natural harvest of red algae occurs in numerous areas of the world.
Pyropia columbina, such as
others Porphyra and Pyropia species, is a good model for unravelling some of the biological and molecular responses associated with desiccation and other environmental conditions that may cause oxidative stress.
The study provides for the first time, a set of
candidate genes for further examination of the physiological responses to other environmental stressors. This genetic background will broaden our understanding on physiological differences may contribute, or even determine, the ecological features of macroalgae inhabiting the intertidal rocky zone.
In rocky shores, desiccation is triggered
by daily tide changes, and experimental evidence suggests that local distribution of algal species across the intertidal rocky zone is related to their capacity to tolerate desiccation.