FAS Abstracts 2004 Meeting Page

Biological Sciences (BIO B): BIO-14

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Physiological ecology of drift algae in the Indian River Lagoon, FL.  J.L. LISS (1), L.J. WALTERS (1), and K.S. BEACH (2).  (1) Univ. of Central Florida, Dept. of Biology, Orlando 32816, (2) Univ. of Tampa, Dept. of Biology, Tampa 33606.  Past research has shown that unattached algae are an extremely variable component of the Indian River Lagoon.  Movement and abundance of drift is highly dependent on flow rates, light availability and nutrient levels.  While the ecology of drift has been addressed, its physiology has not.  We ask:  Is there a difference in photosynthetic performance in drift versus attached algae?  Manipulative field and laboratory experiments were conducted with the green macroalga Codium decorticatum using a Diving Pulse-Amplitude Modulated (D-PAM) fluorometer.  Dark-acclimated rapid light curves were obtained; changes in alpha and ETR_max were used as indications of acclimation from an attached to a drift state.  Our results show no significant physiological change; therefore we find no difference in photosynthetic performance between drift and attached algae.