TEMPORAL VARIATION IN THE PIGMENT COMPOSITION OF CAULERPA PROLIFERA (FORSSKÅL) LAMOUROUX MEADOWS IN THE MAR MENOR LAGOON (SE SPAIN)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

2 Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Faculty of Biology, Murcia University, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.

3 Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense of Madrid University, 28040 Madrid Spain.

4 Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, Murcia University, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.

Abstract

Eighteen photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls, carotenoids and degradation products) were separated and quantified from Caulerpa prolifera in a single-step procedure by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography over the period from November 1995 to October 1996.
The chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, are typical and characteristic pigments of the Caulerpa prolifera , appeared in a quantity very similar. In several months of the year the chlorophyll b appears in greater quantity than the chlorophyll a, especially during the months of June and July, coinciding with the greater biomass of the alga, and also with a great concentration of the carotenoid siphonein.
 As regards the carotenoids, it was found that violaxanthin, siphonoxanthin and neoxanthin-like were the most common carotenoids.

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