The pigment composition of Phaeocystis antarctica (Haptophyceae) under varius conditions of light, temperature, salinity, and iron

The pigment composition of Phaeocystis antarctica was monitored under various conditions of light, temperature, salinity, and iron. 19'-Hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin (Hex-fuco) always constituted the major light-harvesting pigment, with remarkably stable ratios of Hex-fuco-to-chl a under the various environmental conditions. Increased pigment-to-chl a ratios at low irradiance confirmed the light-harvesting function of Fucoxanthin (Fuco), 19'-Hexanoyloxy-4-ketofucoxanthin (Hex-kfuco), 19'-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin (But-fuco), and chl c2 and c3. Increased pigment-to-chl a ratios at high irradiance, low iron concentrations, and to a lesser extent at high salinity confirmed the photoprotective function of diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin, and b,b-carotene. Pigment ratios were not always according to expectations. The consistent increase in But-fuco/chl at high temperature, high salinity, and low iron suggests a role in photoprotection rather than in light harvesting. Low Hex-kfuco/chl ratios at high salinity were consistent with a role as light harvester, but the high ratios at high temperature were not, leaving the function of Hex-kfuco enigmatic. Dedicated experiments were performed to test whether or not the light-harvesting pigment Fuco could be converted into its structural relative Hexfuco, and vice versa, in response to exposure to light shifts. Rapid conversions could not be confirmed, but long-term conversions cannot be excluded. New pigment ratios are proposed for chemotaxonomic applications. The ratios will improve pigment-based diagnosis of algal species in waters dominated by P. antarctica.