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The Effects of Light Intensity on Plastid Organization of the Toxic Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum Hoffmanianum: A Correlated Tem and Fluorescence Microscopy Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

S. Schuette
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL62901-6509
S. Schmitt
Affiliation:
Micro-imaging and Analysis Center, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, IL62901-4402
D. Tindall
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL62901-6509
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Abstract

Toxic dinoflagellates gained notoriety for their devastation to coastal and island economies, causing damages totaling in the millions of dollars that included losses of harvestable resources, clean-up costs, as well as cancellation of holiday reservations in popular tourist/recreational areas.3 These red tide blooms sparked an urgency for obtaining information pertaining to the dynamics of toxin production, but understanding the mechanisms of toxin production have proven to be difficult to pin point. This study tested the hypothesis that cells grown under various light intensities undergo structural and compositional changes and served as a basis for future biochemical studies of Prorocentrumhoffmanianum.

We examined ultrastructural changes to the chloroplast in cells from monocultures of Prorocentrum hoffmanianum grown in three different light intensities, via a transmission electron microscope and a fluorescent light microscope. The full or normal growth chamber intensity of ca. 5000 lux represented the control group referred to as the full light treatment.

Type
Student Research Forum (Organized by R. Koch and Z. Mason)
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

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References

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