Photosynthetic responses to Cu2+ exposure are independent of light acclimation and uncoupled from growth inhibition in Fucus serratus (Phaeophyceae)

We have studied the effect of light acclimation on photosynthetic responses and growth during Cu²⁺ exposure (0–0.84 μM) in the brown seaweed Fucus serratus. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters showed that Cu²⁺ exposure amplified ETR, reduced the chlorophyll content at the cellular level and that there was no effect of light adaptation on the Cu²⁺ resistance of the algae. In contrast to the inhibitory effects of Cu²⁺ on chlorophyll fluorescence, O₂ evolution and the total content of chlorophyll and carotenoid of the algae was unaffected by Cu²⁺. We conclude that photoinhibition and perhaps pigment degradation in the meristoderm was compensated for by cells deeper in the thallus with the result that the overall photosynthetic fitness of the algae was maintained. The pronounced inhibitory effects of Cu²⁺ on algae growth was not a consequence of photoinhibition and could be attributed to direct inhibitory effects on the growth process.