Increased light availability enhances tolerance against ocean acidification stress in Halimeda opuntia

Although the adverse impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on marine calcifiers have been investigated substantially, the anti-stress abilities regulated by increased light availability are unclear. Herein, the interactive effects of three light levels combined with two pCO2 concentrations on the physiological acclimation of the calcifying macroalga Halimeda opuntia were investigated using a pCO2-light coupling experiment. The results indicate that OA exhibits an adverse role in influencing algal growth, calcification, photosynthesis and other physiological performances in H. opuntia. The relative growth rate in elevated pCO2 significantly declined by 13.14%-41.29%, while net calcification rates decreased by nearly three-fold under OA. Notably, increased light availability could enhance stress resistance by the accumulation of soluble organic molecules, especially soluble carbohydrate, soluble protein and free amino acids, and in combination with metabolic enzyme-driven activities alleviated OA stress. Carotenoid content in low light conditions accumulated remarkably and rapid light curves for relative electron transport rate was significantly enhanced by increasing light intensities, indicating that this new organization of the photosynthetic machinery in H. opuntia accommodated light variations and elevated pCO2 conditions. Taken together, the results describe stress resistance by the enhancement of metabolic performance in marine calcifiers to mitigate OA stress. One sentence summaryIncreased light availability enhances stress resistance in Halimeda opuntia by the accumulation of soluble organic molecules and enzyme-driven activities to alleviate ocean acidification stress. Credit authorship contribution statementFangfang Yang and Lijuan Long conceived and designed the experiments. Zhangliang Wei performed the experiments and wrote the paper. Yuanzi Huo analyzed the data, while Chao Long and Yating Zhang contributed materials and analysis tools. Lijuan Long agrees to serve as the author responsible for contact and communication. HighlightsO_LIElevated pCO2 adversely affects the physiological performance of Halimeda. C_LIO_LIModerately high light increases soluble organic molecules and enzymatic-driven activities. C_LIO_LIIncreased light availability enables H. opuntia to alleviate the negative effects of ocean acidification. C_LI