Molecular biology in studies of oceanic primary production
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
- Delaware Univ., Lewes, DE (United States). Coll. of Marine Studies
Remote sensing and the use of moored in situ instrumentation has greatly improved our ability to measure phytoplankton chlorophyll and photosynthesis on global scales with high temporal resolution. However, the interpretation of these measurements and their significance with respect to the biogeochemical cycling of carbon relies on their relationship with physiological and biochemical processes in phytoplankton. For example, the use of satellite images of surface chlorophyll to estimate primary production is often based on the functional relationship between photosynthesis and irradiance. A variety of environmental factors such as light, temperature, nutrient availability affect the photosynthesis/irradiance (P vs I) relationship in phytoplankton. We present three examples showing how molecular biology can be used to provide basic insight into the factors controlling primary productivity at three different levels of complexity: 1. Studies of light intensity regulation in unicellular alga show how molecular biology can help understand the processing of environmental cues leading to the regulation of photosynthetic gene expression. 2. Probing of the photosynthetic apparatus using molecular techniques can be used to test existing mechanistic models derived from the interpretation of physiological and biophysical measurements. 3. Exploratory work on the expression of specific proteins during nutrient-limited growth of phytoplankton may lead to the identification and production of molecular probes for field studies.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 10155112
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-47654; CONF-9204164-1; ON: DE92016101
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International symposium on the measurement of primary production from the molecular to global scale,La Rochelle (France),19-26 Apr 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
PHYTOPLANKTON
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
BIOMASS
PRODUCTION
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
SEAS
CHLOROPHYLL
CARBON CYCLE
REMOTE SENSING
MEASURING METHODS
540310
550500
560130
BASIC STUDIES
METABOLISM
RADIATION EFFECTS ON MICROORGANISMS