THE EFFECTS OF STARVATION ON THE SYMBIOTIC CHLOROPLASTS IN ELYSI A VIRIDIS: A FINE STRUCTURAL STUDY

Abstract

An ultrastructural approach was used to study the effects of light and dark starvation on chloroplasts symbiotic in the mollusc Elysia viridis. Starvation for 27 days in a 16 h light/8 h dark photoperiod resulted in loss of starch grains and a gradual disintegration of the chloroplasts by a progressive increase in the inter‐thylakoid spaces, resulting in the separation and degeneration of the photosynthetic membranes. To account for these observations a process of photodestruction is suggested. Chloroplasts in animals starved in total darkness for a corresponding period remained relatively intact, and showed a marked increase in the number of plastoglobuli per chloroplast. This increase in plastoglobuli may be a result of the normal ageing process of chloroplasts with a redundant photosynthetic apparatus. Copyright © 1980, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved