Exploring the effects of fluorophore additives and narrow band light on photosynthetic organisms
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Jeffrey Scott Jalovec (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Daniel Herr
Abstract: The research undertaken here explores the effects of fluorescent sensitizers on photosynthetic organisms. Further, the research explores the effect of narrow band light environments on photosynthetic cyanobacteria. This work elucidates the role of light frequency on photosynthetically driven biomass generation. We hypothesized that the introduction of fluorescent sensitizers, which convert unused portions of the visible spectrum to photosynthetically useful light, would enhance the organism’s growth rates and biomass. We further hypothesized that the cyanobacteria grown in narrow band light environments would undergo a genomic response and induce a genetic response that stimulated an increase in various accessory pigments more suitable to absorbing the supplied wavelengths. The first set of studies involved adding a trans-stilbene dye, as a fluorescent sensitizer that absorbs UV light and emits blue, to Linum usitatissimum (Golden Flax). We used a hydroponic delivery system to create our closed loop nutrient stream and supply the sensitizer. We hypothesized that the experimental group would grow faster and generate more biomass due to additional photosynthetically useful light being available. We found that the height of the population given the sensitizer increased by 43% under normal grow lights and when additional UV light was supplied the additional height was increased to 77%. The biomass of the crop portion of the experimental group was greater. However, we did note that the roots and leaves of the experimental group were smaller than the control group. This led us to discover that the overall biomass showed no statistical difference between the groups. The control group weighed 4.90±.87 grams compared to the test groups 4.92±.58 grams. Through optical density readings of the supplied microbiome grown in the presence of the sensitizer we determined that there was no deleterious effect on the overall growth rate. The second set of experiments we conducted involved the addition of the optical sensitizer to the growth media of the cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus. We hypothesized that the experimental group would grow faster and generate more biomass due to additional photosynthetically useful light being available. We inoculated flasks with Synechococcus elongatus and monitored their growth through optical density readings. The growth of the experimental group showed a marked increase as the flasks became saturated. We also performed genomic testing on the populations after continual growth in the presence of the sensitizer for 8 weeks. We found no noteworthy genomic changes in Synechococcus elongatus due to the presence of the sensitizer in the growth media. This implies the sensitizer is not mutagenic for our organism. The final set of experiments involved the growth of Synechococcus elongatus in narrow band light environments. We hypothesized that the cyanobacteria would mutate to accommodate the light environments and increase or decrease the concentrations of various pigments as necessary to thrive. For this study we used full spectrum light for a control, orange light and green light. In the early stages the control group outgrew the experimental groups handily. However, over time the experimental groups grew at a comparable pace to the control. We performed UPLC analysis on the samples but found no significant fluctuations in the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments. Further, upon genomic sequencing we found no noteworthy changes to the genomes of the cyanobacteria that experienced various narrow band light treatments.
Exploring the effects of fluorophore additives and narrow band light on photosynthetic organisms
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Created on 5/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Keywords
- Accessory pigment mimicry, Cyanobacteria, Fluorophores, Gene expression, Genomics, Photosynthesis
- Subjects
- Ultraviolet radiation
- Photosynthesis
- Gene expression
- Cyanobacteria