Tait Leigh W, Hawes Ian, Schiel David R
National Institute of Water & Atmosphere, 10 Kyle St, Riccarton 8011, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Marine Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
J Phycol. 2017 Jun;53(3):476-485. doi: 10.1111/jpy.12524. Epub 2017 Mar 21.
Global declines of macroalgal beds in coastal waters have prompted a plethora of studies attempting to understand the drivers of change within dynamic nearshore ecosystems. Photosynthetic measurements are good tools for assessing the consequences of numerous stressors of macroalgae, but there is somewhat of a disconnection between studies that focus on organism-specific ecophysiological responses and those that address causes and consequences of shifts in macroalgal productivity. Our goal is to highlight the applications of two complementary tools for measuring photosynthesis-variable chlorophyll a fluorescence and photorespirometry-and provide guidance for the integration of physiology and ecology to understand the drivers of change in macroalgal communities. Photorespirometry can provide an integrated measure of whole-community metabolism, including an estimate of the physiological costs associated with stressors, while fluorescence-based techniques provide point measures of the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus within communities. Variable chlorophyll a fluorescence does not provide an estimate of carbon balance or integrated photosynthesis across either whole plants or whole communities but can be used to estimate the contribution of individual community components in the dynamic subcanopy environment to help us understand the mechanisms underlying observed responses. We highlight the importance of the highly dynamic light environment within macroalgal communities and call for better integration of physiological techniques in an ecological context to enhance our understanding of the responses of whole communities to local and global stressors.
沿海水域大型海藻床的全球衰退促使众多研究试图了解动态近岸生态系统中变化的驱动因素。光合测量是评估大型海藻众多压力源后果的良好工具，但专注于特定生物体生态生理反应的研究与探讨大型海藻生产力变化的原因和后果的研究之间存在一定脱节。我们的目标是强调两种用于测量光合作用的互补工具——可变叶绿素a荧光和光呼吸测定法——的应用，并为整合生理学和生态学以理解大型海藻群落变化驱动因素提供指导。光呼吸测定法可以提供整个群落新陈代谢的综合测量，包括与压力源相关的生理成本估计，而基于荧光的技术则提供群落内光合机构效率的点测量。可变叶绿素a荧光不能提供整个植物或整个群落的碳平衡或综合光合作用估计，但可用于估计动态树冠下层环境中各个群落组成部分的贡献，以帮助我们理解观察到的反应背后的机制。我们强调大型海藻群落中高度动态光环境的重要性，并呼吁在生态背景下更好地整合生理技术，以加强我们对整个群落对局部和全球压力源反应的理解。
