MORPHO-FUNCTIONAL PATTERNS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC KELPLESSONIA NIGRESCENS: EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION ON14C FIXATION AND PRIMARY PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS

The morpho-functional patterns of photosynthesis, measured as 14C-fixation and chl fluorescence of PSII, also as affected by different doses of UV radiation in the laboratory were examined in the South Pacific kelp Lessonia nigrescens Bory of the coast of Valdivia, Chile (40°S). The results indicated the existence of longitudinal thallus profiles in physiological performance. In general, blades exhibited higher rates of carbon fixation and pigmentation as compared with stipes and holdfasts. Light-independent 14C fixation (LICF) was high in meristematic zones of the blades (3.5 μmol 14C·g−1 fresh weight [FW]·h−1), representing 2%–16% (percentage ratio) of the photosynthetic 14C fixation (20 …