Presentation Title
Can Devaleraea mollis chromatically adapt?
Abstract
Diversity in phytochrome pigments enables algae to harvest light at different heights in the ocean column. This concept, called "chromatic adaption", has been untested on Devaleraea mollis, commonly referred to as "dulse", a red-seaweed popularly eaten on the West Coast. This study will test if Devaleraea mollis can chromatically adapt to red, green, or blue LED lights. If it is, both red and blue lights should induce higher chlorophyll-a, beta-carotene, and allophycocyanin concentrations, while green should induce higher phycoerythrin and phycocyanin. This study is applicable to seaweed farmers who aim to grow deep-red seaweeds high in phycoerythrin.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Thomas Vogelmann
Secondary Mentor Name
Mark Starrett
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Ecological Agriculture
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Food & Environment Studies
Can Devaleraea mollis chromatically adapt?
Diversity in phytochrome pigments enables algae to harvest light at different heights in the ocean column. This concept, called "chromatic adaption", has been untested on Devaleraea mollis, commonly referred to as "dulse", a red-seaweed popularly eaten on the West Coast. This study will test if Devaleraea mollis can chromatically adapt to red, green, or blue LED lights. If it is, both red and blue lights should induce higher chlorophyll-a, beta-carotene, and allophycocyanin concentrations, while green should induce higher phycoerythrin and phycocyanin. This study is applicable to seaweed farmers who aim to grow deep-red seaweeds high in phycoerythrin.