The Effects of Different Salt Concentrations on the Biochemical Contents of Gracilaria gracilis Greville (Rhodophyta)

Abstract

It has been known that, climate change causes changes in marine water salinity. Since salinity is one of the major factors on osmoregulation and ion concentration of algae, marine algal community will be effected by salinity changes. Gracilaria gracilis samples were collected from Izmir Bay on December 2014. After 2 days adjustment period in the laboratory conditions, the algae samples were divided into 4 groups and each group were cultured in different salinity concentrations (10‰, 25‰, 37‰ control group, 48‰) for 7 days. On Day 0, 2, 5 and 7, small pieces of samples collected from each group afterwards total protein, phycocyanin, phycoerythrin and chlorophyll a integrity and catalase activity were analyzed. Phycocyanin, phycoerythrin and chlorophyll a levels and catalase activity showed variations according to exposure time and salinity concentrations. Except for the catalase activity, all the parameters were decreased by the end of the 7th day at different salinities. The highest catalase activity was observed on the last day of the experiment in all groups which shows the salinity stress increasement according to exposure time. Gracilaria gracilis was not able to adapt both hiposalinity and hypersalinity conditions.

Keywords

• Gracilaria gracilis,phycoerythrin,phycocyanin,catalase

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