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Marshall, Johanna; Kosgoda, Wishva

The brown algae Fucus distichus acts as a foundational species in rocky intertidal zones along the Pacific coast. In previous literature, differences in photosynthetic pigments in Fucus related to physical and ecological conditions such as depth, salinity, and epiphyte presence have been observed. However, there is limited understanding of how such pigments are distributed within an individual specimen. In this study, we used spectrophotometry to assess the distribution of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) content within Pacific Fucus distichus morphology. The objective of our study was to determine the difference in chl-a concentration associated with node number to illustrate the distribution pattern of chl-a within a single F. distichus specimen. To describe the algal structure we treated each branching of the blades as a node, where node numbers begin at the stipe and increase to the tips. We determined that there was a significant maximum in chl-a concentration at node 3, and on average the chl-a concentration increased from node 1 to node 3 and decreased from node 3 to node 5. Thus, we infer that measurements of chl-a taken from different nodes on the same individual alga would likely vary. This has wider implications for research methods in phycology, as studies of chl-a in Fucus often do not describe the location of pigment measurements within the seaweeds tested. Additionally, any new studies should consider that since there are significant differences in chl-a concentration in different regions, sample location should be standardized across all specimens tested.

Text

University of British Columbia. Science One Research Projects; University of British Columbia. SCIE 001

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0435583

Science, Faculty of

Undergraduate

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