Photosynthetic Response of Seagrasses to Ultraviolet-A Radiation and the Influence of Visible Light Intensity

Abstract

Inhibition of photosynthesis by ultraviolet-A radiation (UV-A, 315-380 nanometers) was examined in three marine angiosperms: Halophila engelmannii Aschers, Halodule wrightii Aschers, and Syringodium filiforme Kütz. Sensitivity to UV-A and photosensitization to UV-A by photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 380-700 nanometers) were characterized.Net photosynthesis by Halodule and Syringodium was unaffected by UV-A irradiation in the absence of PAR. Irradiation of Syringodium by a combined beam of UV-A and PAR resulted in photosynthetic inhibition. The depression of net photosynthesis was found to be a function of PAR intensity at a fixed level of UV-A irradiation. Inhibition of photosynthesis in Halodule by the combined beam was minimal and suggests adaptation to environmental irradiation levels.Halophila was the only species examined, subject to photosynthetic inhibition by UV-A in the absence of PAR. Irradiation with PAR intensities characteristic to Halophila in the natural system as the combined beam, appeared to negate the inhibition. Increasing the PAR component of the combined beam above environmental norms resulted in photosynthetic inhibition greater than that observed for UV-A alone.