Photosynthetic pigments in the Haptophyta

Abstract Knowledge of pigment systems is essential to our understanding of taxonomic and biological relationships within algal groups, and is an important parameter for measuring their abundance in aquatic systems. In this paper we review the development of knowledge of haptophyte pigments from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, and then present a new HPLC analysis of 29 species (50 strains) from eight out of 16 haptophyte families. Four pigment types were recognized. All contain chlorophylls a and c1/ ‘ diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, and /3,{3-carotene. In addition, Type I has fucoxanthin; Type 2, chlorophyll c3 and fucoxanthin (both types similar to diatoms); Type 3, chlorophyll es and 19’-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, and Type 4, chlorophyll es and 19’-butanoyloxfucoxanthin (plus variable amounts of 19’-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin and fucoxanthin). Seven minor carotenoids, phytylated chlorophyll c and /3,e-carotene are also present in some strains. No clear-cut pigment pattern for all haptophytes has emerged, which emphasizes the caution oceanographers must still exercise in identification of this group of planktonic algae from pigment signatures.