Posidonia oceanica photosynthesis along a depth gradient

Seagrass photosynthetic rates depend largely on light availability, along with other environmental factors and the physiological condition of the plants. Along a vertical gradient, seagrasses are permanently exposed to distinct light environments, to which the photosynthetic apparatus must adapt. In this study, the response of Posidonia oceanica photosynthesis to light was investigated in plants collected at three different depths (3, 20 and 30m) in the Bay of Revellata, Corsica, France, in the the marine research station Stareso (42º34’4’’N, 8º43’2’’E) in October, 2011. Photosynthesis-irradiance curves (P-I) were measured in an oxygen electrode system (DW3/CB1, Hansatech). Photosynthetic rates were determined over an increasing range of irradiance values, from darkness to 850 µmol quanta m-2 s-1. The Jassby and Platt hyperbolic model (1957) equation was fitted to the obtained data, to calculate the relevant photosynthetic parameters. For each depth, maximum photosynthetic rate (Pmax), inicial slope (), light saturation point (Ik), light compensation point (Ic) and dark respiration (Rd) were determined. Photosynthetic parameters showed significant variations with depth, particularly between the shallowest plants (3m) and the two other depths. As expected, P. oceanica from 3m depth revealed a “sun-adapted” photosynthetic behavior in contrast with plants from deeper waters.