Underwater light manipulation by the benthic diatom Ctenophora pulchella: basic principles and functional meaning
2021
Authors:
De Tommasi, EdoardoRea, Ilaria
Ferrara, Maria Antonietta
De Stefano, Luca
De Stefano, Mario
Al- Handal, Adil Yousif
Stamenković, Marija
Wulff, Angela
Contributors
Sibilia, ConcitaBelardini, Alessandro
Pauliat, Gilles
Document Type:
Conference object (Published version)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract:
Marine and freshwater diatoms contribute massively to global primary production with significant
effects on carbon, oxygen, and silica cycles. Diatoms are enclosed in a micro- and nano- patterned silica shell,
the frustule, whose functions comprise mechanical stability, sorting of nutrients from harmful agents, and, as
recently shown in several studies, optimization of light harvesting. In the present work several numerical and
experimental techniques including wide-angle beam propagation method, transmission imaging, digital
holography, fluorescence imaging, and photoluminescence spectroscopy have been exploited to study the
interaction of light with both bare frustules and living cells of the benthic diatom Ctenophora pulchella, in
different spectral ranges and with particular focus on UV radiation due to its potential detrimental effects on
living organisms. C. pulchella is characterized indeed by a noticeable tolerance towards UV irradiation despite
the lack of specific UV-absorbing compounds. The main aim of this work is to shed light onto the possible
mechanisms by which the frustule is able to protect the living cell versus exposure to short-wavelength optical
radiation.
In:
- Sibilia C, Belardini A, Pauliat G, editors. The European Optical Society Annual Meeting: EOSAM; 2021 Sep 3-17; Rome, Italy. Paris: EDP Sciences - Web of Conferences; 2021. (EPJ Web of Conferences; Vol. 255).