The Effects of Ultraviolet Irradiation on a Coccoid Blue-Green Alga: Survival, Photosynthesis, and Photoreactivation

Abstract

The effects of UV irradiation (254 m{{}micro{}}) on a coccoid blue-green alga Agmenellum quadruplicatum, Strain PR-6, have been examined in terms of the survival curve and measurement of short time photosynthetic rates. From study of survival evidence has been found for a strong photoreactivation centered near 430 m{{}micro{}}. Measurements of photosynthetic rate suggest that there is a correlation between decay of photosynthesis and survival after UV exposure. The UV induced decay in photosynthetic activity is reversed by the identical photoreactivation conditions that increase the survival level. The photosynthetic data are interpreted as demonstrating a photoreactivation of photosynthesis in blue-green algae.