Endolithic chlorophyll d-containing phototrophs

• Published in: The ISME Journal Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 1072 - 1076
• Main Authors: Behrendt, Lars, Larkum, Anthony WD, Norman, Anders, Qvortrup, Klaus, Chen, Min, Ralph, Peter, Sørensen, Søren J, Trampe, Erik, Kühl, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.06.2011; Oxford University Press; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158/2446/837; 631/326/2565/855; Algae; Animals; Anthozoa - microbiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll - analysis; Coral Reefs; Cyanobacteria; Cyanobacteria - genetics; Cyanobacteria - isolation & purification; Cyanobacteria - metabolism; Cyanobacteria - ultrastructure; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Ecology; Ecosystem; Evolutionary Biology; Fluorescence; Habitats; Life Sciences; Light; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Photosynthesis; Rhodophyta - chemistry; Rhodophyta - metabolism; Short Communication; chlorophyll; endolithic; cyanobacteria; bioimaging
• ISSN: 1751-7362; 1751-7370; 1751-7370
• DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2010.195

Cyanobacteria in the genus Acaryochloris are the only known oxyphototrophs that have exchanged chlorophyll a (Chl a ) with Chl d as their primary photopigment, facilitating oxygenic photosynthesis with near infrared (NIR) light. Yet their ecology and natural habitats are largely unknown. We used hyperspectral and variable chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, scanning electron microscopy, photopigment analysis and DNA sequencing to show that Acaryochloris -like cyanobacteria thrive underneath crustose coralline algae in a widespread endolithic habitat on coral reefs. This finding suggests an important role of Chl d -containing cyanobacteria in a range of hitherto unexplored endolithic habitats, where NIR light-driven oxygenic photosynthesis may be significant.