Physiological measurements of terrestrial snow algal isolates from Adelaide Island, collected 2014-2018
GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02177
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Summary
Abstract:
As short-term Antarctic summer temperatures approach 20 degrees C, parameterising temperature tolerance for snow algal species is key to determining how climate change may affect community composition and primary productivity as their habitat range changes. This dataset presents data on three Antarctic snow algae strains isolated from snow patches on islands within Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island, off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2014/15 and 2017/18. The strains were isolated and in 2024 and 2025 exposed to temperatures from 4 degrees C to 20 degrees C across four experiments to assess the intraspecific and interspecific effects of temperature on growth, metabolite composition and photochemistry. Of these strains, the growth of Limnomonas sp. and Chlorominima sp. were negatively affected upwards from 8 degrees C and did not survive at 20 degrees C. Micractinium sp. conversely, grew well at all temperatures. Photosynthetic parameters, measured by quantum yield (QY) curves, oxygen production and pigment content, were also minimally affected by temperature in Micractinium sp., whereas Limnomonas sp. showed reduced QY at temperatures at and above 8 degrees C and Chlorominima sp. exhibited the greatest variation in QY and oxygen production across temperature treatments.
The expedition and sampling was carried out by Matthew Davey and Andrew Gray with support from BAS, UK. Samples were transferred to UK (SAMS) for further physiological analysis by Carla Ruiz Gonzalez, Vaila Grigg, Naomi Thomas, Alex Innes Thompson, Ewan MacPherson, Lara Dillon and Emilie Gober. This was part of wider projects with Alison G. Smith, Charles Cockell, Peter Convey.
Funding was provided by NERC Standard Grants NE/V000764/1 and NE/V000896/1, NERC E4 PhD NE/S007407/1, NERC SUPER DTP REP internship NE/S007342/1, NERC BAS Collaborative Gear Sharing Scheme award RJCGS14MPD, and Leverhulme Trust Research Grant RPG-2017-077.
Keywords:
Ryder Bay, chlorophyll fluorescence, growth, optical density, photosynthesis, pigments, snow algae
Citation
Davey, M., Ruiz Gonzalez, C., Grigg, V., Thomas, N., Thomson, A., MacPherson, E., Dillon, L., Gober, E., Smith, A., Cockell, C., & Convey, P. (2026). Physiological measurements of terrestrial snow algal isolates from Adelaide Island, collected 2014-2018 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/b16c9086-34e4-41c4-901f-d9223c522929
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REFERENCE MATERIALS
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-010-0033-4
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0176-1617(11)81192-2
- https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.77.2.483
- https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15701
REFERENCE MATERIALS
RELATED DATA SET METADATA
Constraints
| Access Constraints: | No restrictions apply. |
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| Use Constraints: | This data is governed by the NERC data policy (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/) and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). |
Basic Information
| Creation Date: | 2026-04-13 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Complete |
| Dataset Language: | English |
| ISO Topic Categories: |
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| Parameters: |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK PDC |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Dr Matthew P Davey |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science, Plant Sciences |
| Name | Carla Ruiz Gonzalez |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Vaila Grigg |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Naomi Thomas |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Alex I Thomson |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Ewan MacPherson |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Lara Dillon |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Emilie Gober |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Name | Alison G Smith |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Name | Charles Cockell |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Name | Dr Peter Convey |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
Additional Information
| Reference: | Carla Ruiz Gonzalez, Vaila Grigg, Ewan MacPherson, Lara Dillon, Emilie Gober, Naomi Thomas, Alex Thomas, Charles Cockell, Alison Smith, Matthew P. Davey. 2025. Interspecific variation of growth, metabolic and photosynthetic traits in Antarctic snow algae - implications of climate change on composition of snow algae communities in Antarctica. Submitted Dec 2025. In review. Davey MP, Norman L, Sterk P, Huete-Ortega M, Bunbury F, Kin Wai Loh B, Stockton S, Peck LS, Convey P, Newsham KK, Smith AG. 2019. Snow algae communities in Antarctica - metabolic and taxonomic composition. New Phytologist. 222 (3), 1242-125 doi: 10.1111/nph.15701 Inskeep WP, Bloom PR. Extinction coefficients of chlorophyll a and B in n,n-dimethylformamide and 80% acetone. Plant Physiol. 1985 Feb;77(2):483-5. doi: 10.1104/pp.77.2.483. PMID: 16664080; PMCID: PMC1064541. Wellburn, A. R. (1994). The Spectral Determination of Chlorophylls a and b, as well as Total Carotenoids, Using Various Solvents with Spectrophotometers of Different Resolution. Journal of Plant Physiology, 144(3), 307-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0176-1617(11)81192-2 Remias, D., Albert, A. & Lütz, C. Effects of realistically simulated, elevated UV irradiation on photosynthesis and pigment composition of the alpine snow alga Chlamydomonas nivalis and the arctic soil alga Tetracystis sp. (Chlorophyceae). Photosynthetica 48, 269-277 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-010-0033-4 |
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| Quality: | The initial growth assessment experiment was performed three times. The wider growth study was carried out once in triplicate 6-well plates for each condition. The PAM experiment was performed twice for the 1-day treatment and once for the 7-day treatment. All other measurements for oxygen production and pigments were in triplicate. |
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| Lineage/Methodology: | Algae cells collected from Antarctica during two field seasons: (2014-12-28 and 2015-02-12) and (2017-12-28 and 2018-02-16). Experiments on individual species in laboratory from 2022-2025 at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Oban, UK. Strain selection: The snow algal isolates Chlorominima sp., Micractinium sp. (CCAP 248/21) and Limnomonas sp. (CCAP 6/3) were originally collected by Dr Matthew Davey from Ryder Bay (Adelaide Island), off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula [Davey et al. 2019. doi: 10.1111/nph.15701]. They were isolated using successive streaking and colony selection on agar plates, identified and deposited at the UK Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP; www.ccap.ac.uk) using 1N-Bold's Basal Medium (1N-BBM) at 4 degrees C. The temperate control strain, Chlorella vulgaris (CCAP 211/11B), originally isolated from the Netherlands, was obtained from CCAP and grown in Jaworski's Medium (JM) at 20 degrees C. Initial growth assessment (Initial_Assessment_Snow_Algae_OD_Growth_Data.csv): Chlorominima sp. and Limnomonas sp. were cultivated in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 100 mL of sterile 1N-BBM with a starting cell density of 1 x 105 cells mL-1 (day 0). Triplicate flasks were placed in two shaking incubators at 45 rpm and at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C, 16:8h (light: dark) cycle with photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) between 75-80 µmol m-2 s-1. Every other day, a 1 mL subsample from each culture was taken to measure optical density (OD) at 600 nm (Implen NanoPhotometer) and cell counts (MultisizerTM 3 Beckman Coulter Counter, gated at 2-20 µm, Germany). Three experiments were undertaken lasting 13, 21 and 27 days. Wider growth assessment (Wider_Assessment_Snow_Algae_OD_Growth_Data.csv): Cultures of the three Antarctic snow algal strains, Micractinium sp., Chlorominima sp. and Limnomonas sp., and a model control strain, Chlorella vulgaris were normalised to a starting cell count of 2.5 x10-6 cells mL-1. One millilitre of culture was added to 4 mL of growth medium (JM for Chlorella vulgaris and 1N-BBM for snow algae) to each well (5 mL per well) of clear 6-well plates (Corning Co-Star), with triplicate well-plates for each strain and growth temperature. Plates were sealed with parafilm to reduce evaporation and contamination. A 6-well plate of growth media (5 mL per well) was also prepared for each temperature to act as a blank control. Plates were stacked either within a 4 degrees C Eppendorf Innova S44i incubator, 8 degrees C or 20 degrees C Polysec controlled temperature room at 12:12 hour (light: dark) cycle, PAR 22-86 µmol m-2 s-1 with plates rotated three times per week to ensure even light availability. OD of the cultures in each well was measured three times per week (POLARstar Omega plate reader). Cells were harvested on days 25 (lag phase), 33 (exponential phase) and 46 (stationary phase) by adding the contents of each well to separate 15 mL centrifuge tubes. Photosynthetic parameters (pulse amplitude fluorometry (PAM), oxygen evolution and pigment content): Cultures of Chlorominima sp., Micractinium sp. (CCAP 248/21) and Limnomonas sp. (CCAP 6/3) were added to either 3 x 50 mL clear vented tissue culture flasks for Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM) measurements or in clear 6-well plates (5 mL per well, Corning Costar) for oxygen measurements. Samples were placed in a growth incubator (Polar Series G, Nisbets, Ireland) set at either 4 degrees C, 8 degrees C, 12 degrees C or 16 degrees C for either one day (24 h, acute shock) or seven days (chronic shock). The PAM experiment was performed twice for the 1-day (1 d) treatment and once for the 7-day (7 d) treatment. The samples were placed back in the 4 degrees C incubator for 30-90 min for OD and cell count measurements and dark-adapted for 15 min at 4 degrees C before PAM measurements were taken (Aquapen-C PAM, Photon Systems Instruments, Czech Republic). (Pigment_content_snow_algae_data_24h_7day.csv): Total chlorophyll and carotenoid content per ml culture and per algal cell were determined after extraction of pigments from cell pellets (from 1 mL culture) with 1 mL dimethylformamide using the equations of (Inskeep & Bloom, 1985) and (Wellburn, 1994). (FvFm_Aquapen_Snow_Algae_Temperature_Experiments.csv): Fv/Fm (maximum efficiency of PSII photochemistry in dark adapted material) and Fv'/Fm' (maximum efficiency of PSII photochemistry in the light) were measured using the OJIP and NPQ1 settings (actinic light 60 s, 5 pulses, 1st pulse 7 s at 12 s intervals; dark recovery 88 s of 3 pulses, 1st pulse 11 s at 26 s intervals). Super pulse (Fm) PAR intensity was optimised and set at 600 µmol m-2 s-1 (20%) for Limnomonas sp. and Micractinium sp. and 1200 µmol m-2 s-1 (40%) for Chlorominima sp. Flash pulse (Fo or Ft) PAR was optimised and set at 10% (0.009 µmol m-2 s-1) for Micractinium sp. and Chlorominima sp. and 20% (0.018 µmol m-2 s-1) for Limnomonas sp. Actinic level was set at a PAR of 50 µmol m-2 s-1 (5%) throughout. (rETR_Aquapen_Snow_Algae_Temperature_Experiments.csv): Light response curves of quantum yield (QY) Fv''/Fm' were achieved using setting (LC3) consisting of initial super pulse followed by increasing PAR actinic levels of 10, 20, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1000 µmol m-2 s-1 with phase duration of 60 s. Relative electron transport rates of PSII (rETR; µmol electrons m-2 s-1) were calculated using equations (QY x PAR from 10 to 1000) from (Remias, Albert & Lutz, 2010). (Oxygen_production_snow_algae_data_24h_7day.csv): Rates of oxygen production were measured by adding 1.5 mL dark-adapted culture into an Oxytherm+P oxygen electrode chamber (Hansatech Instruments, Kings Lynn, UK) set at 4 degrees C, 70 rpm stirring and after 3 min at 0 irradiance, increasing PAR through 0, 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100, 200, 300, 500, 1000 µmol m-2 s-1 at 2 min intervals. Rates of O2 production were measured over 1 min over the 2-min interval and O2 production rates normalised to a per cell basis (cells counted on a MultisizerTM 3 Beckman Coulter Counter, Germany). |
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Locality
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 2014-12-28 |
| End Date | 2015-02-12 |
| Start Date | 2017-12-28 |
| End Date | 2018-02-16 |
| Start Date | 2022-01-01 |
| End Date | 2025-12-01 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -67.60442 |
| Northernmost | -67.56831 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -68.32556 |
| Easternmost | -68.11408 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Anchorage Island |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Leonie Island |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Lagoon Island |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Rothera Point, Ryder Bay |
Instrumentation
| Data Collection: | Implen NanoPhotometer MultisizerTM 3 Beckman Coulter Counter, Germany POLARstar Omega plate reader Aquapen-C PAM, Photon Systems Instruments, Czech Republic Hansatech Instruments, Kings Lynn, UK |
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Storage
| Data Storage: | 6x csv files |
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