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International Journal on Algae

ISSN for PRINT: 1521-9429

Institutional price:	$905.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2005, Volume7

102 pages

DOI: 10.1615/InterJAlgae.v7.i3

Issue price - $216.00

Contribution to the study of carbohydrates in terrestrial algae

E. I. Shnyukova
N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2, Tereshchenkovskaya St., 01001 Kiev, Ukraine

T. I. Mikhailyuk
N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2, Tereshchenkovskaya St., 01001, Kiev, Ukraine

T. M. Darienko
N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2, Tereshchenkovskaya St., 01001 Kiev, Ukraine

S. Ya. Kondratyuk
N.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2, Tereshchenkovskaya St., 01001 Kiev, Ukraine

ABSTRACT

As a result of the study of the ratio of various groups of carbohydrates in cells of widely distributed terrestrial algae Desmococcus olivaceus (Pers. ex. Ach.) Laundon, Trentepohlia umbrina (Kütz.). Born., Nostoc commune Vauch., Gloeocapsa magma (Bréb.) Kütz., it was revealed that the main part of their carbohydrates are concentrated in the groups of reserve and structural polysaccharides. The fraction of low-polymeric carbohydrates was represented unsufficiently. The comparison of obtained data with information concerning carbohydrates of phylogenetically relative species of aquatic forms has shown that in green algae more than half of the carbohydrates belong to the low-polymeric fraction. In cells of aquatic blue-green algae the ratio of carbohydrate groups is similar to those of terrestrial algae. It is asummed that the revealed composition of carbohydrates in terrestrial algae helps them in survival in unfavorable environmental conditions, i.e., in cell protection against desiccation and supports their vital activity during the period of anabiosis. A similar ratio of carbohydrates in the cells of terrestrial and aquatic blue-green algae, in our opinion, is related to their high plasticity and the ability of a great number of species to inhabit various ecotopes, ranging from water bodies to dry rocks.