LIPOPHILIC PIGMENTS FROM CYANOBACTERIAL (BLUE‐GREEN ALGAL) AND DIATOM MATS IN HAMELIN POOL, SHARK BAY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Anna C. Palmisano*, Roger E. Summons, Sonja E. Cronin, David J. Des Marais

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    23 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Lipophilic pigments were examined in microbial mat communities dominated by cyanobacteria in the intertidal zone and by diatoms in the subtidal and sublittoral zones of Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, Western Australia. These microbial mats have evolutionary significance because of their similarity to lithified stromatolites from the Proterozoic and Early Paleozoic eras. Fucoxanthin, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, β‐carotene, and chlorophylls a and c characterized the diatom mats, whereas cyanobacterial mats contained myxoxanthophyll zeaxanthin, echinenone, β‐carotene, chlorophyll a and, in some cases, sheath pigment. The presence of bacteriochlorophyll a with in the mats suggest a close association of photosynthetic bacteria with diatoms and cyanobacteria. The high carotenoids: chlorophyll a ratios (0.84–2.44 wt/wt) in the diatom mats suggest that carotenoids served a photoprotective function in this high light environment. By contrast, cyanobacterial sheath pigment may have largely supplanted the photoprotective role of carotenoids in the intertidal mats.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)655-661
    Number of pages7
    JournalJournal of Phycology
    Volume25
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1989

    Keywords

    • carotenoids
    • chlorophyll
    • cyanobacterial pigments
    • diatom pigmemts
    • lipophilic pigments
    • stromatolites

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