Rewetting of drought-resistant blue-green algae: Time course of water uptake and reappearance of respiration, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation

Abstract

The response of the terrestrial blue-green algae Nostoc flagelliforme, Nostoc commune, and Nostoc spec. to water uptake has been investigated after a drought period of approximately 2 years. Rapid half-times of rewetting (0.6, 3.3, and 15.5 min, respectively) are found. The surfaceto-mass ratio of the three species is inversely correlated to the speed of water uptake and loss. The ecological relevance of these different time courses is discussed.Respiration starts immediately after a 30-min rewetting period, whereas photosynthetic oxygen evolution reaches its maximum activity after 6 and 8 h with N. commune and N. flagelliforme, respectively. In the dark, recovery of oxygen uptake by N. commune is somewhat impaired, while slightly stimulated with N. flagelliforme. With both species, recovery of photosynthesis is inhibited by darkness.Using colonies kept dry for two years, nitrogenase activity of N. commune attains its maximum 120 to 150 h after rewetting, while only 50 h were needed with algal mats kept dry for two days.Thus, after a 2-year drought period, the physiological sequence of reactivation is respiration-photosynthesis-nitrogen fixation. Respiration and photosynthesis precede growth and are exhibited by existing vegetative cells, whereas recovery of nitrogen fixation is dependent on newly differentiated heterocysts.