Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2023, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 116-125.doi: 10.11978/2022121CSTR: 32234.14.2022121

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Effects of ammonium enrichment on the photosynthesis, glutamine synthetase and amino acid composition of seagrass Halophila beccarii Asch

JIANG Zhijian1,2,3,4,5,6(), Chanaka Isuranga PREMARATHNE1,3, FANG Yang1,3, LIN Jizhen1,3, WU Yunchao1,2,4,5,6, LIU Songlin1,2,4,5,6, HUANG Xiaoping1,2,3,4,5,6()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
    2. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    4. Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
    5. Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572100, China
    6. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou 510301, China
  • Received:2022-05-26 Revised:2022-07-16 Online:2023-05-10 Published:2022-07-21
  • Supported by:
    Hainan Province Science and Technology Special Fund(ZDYF2021SHFZ254); National Natural Science Foundation of China(41735029); National Natural Science Foundation of China(41976144); National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1901221); National Natural Science Foundation of China(42176158); Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS(2023359); Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China(2020B1212060058)

Abstract:

Seagrass Halophila beccarii Asch has long been neglected due to its small size, and the coastal nitrogen loading accelerates its degradation. The physiological response of H. beccarii to ammonium toxicity is not clear. Based on the lab cultivation experiment, the effects of ammonium enrichment in four gradients (Control, 25 μmol·L-1, 50 μmol·L-1 and 100 μmol·L-1) on the photosynthesis, chlorophyll, ammonium ion flux in mesophyll cell, glutamine synthetase activity and nutrients of H. beccarii are studied using chlorophyll fluorescence, non-invasive micro measurement technology and targeted metabolomics. The results showed that the maximum relative electron transport rate exhibits a trend of low ammonium enrichment>moderate ammonium enrichment>control>high ammonium enrichment. High ammonium enrichment significantly reduces the maximum relative electron transport rate and light utilization efficiency, while decreasing the carbon pool for ammonium assimilation. Meanwhile, ammonium enrichment significantly enhances the ammonium ion flux and glutamine synthetase activity, assimilating excess ammonium into amino acids. However, ammonium enrichment reduces the amino acid contents, which might be caused by that the amino acids are used to synthesize organic substances such as key secondary metabolites to further regulate and adapt to ammonium toxicity. Therefore, moderate ammonium enrichment is beneficial for the photosynthesis and growth of H. beccarii, while high ammonium enrichment has toxic effect on H. beccarii.

Key words: ammonium, Halophila beccarii Asch, photosynthesis, glutamine synthetase, amino acid