Tolerance of the Photosynthetic Apparatus to Acidification of the Growth Medium as a Possible Determinant of CO2-Tolerance of the Symbiotic Microalga Desmodesmus sp. IPPAS-2014.

The symbiotic unicellular chlorophyte Desmodesmus sp. IPPAS-2014 capable of growth at extremely high CO2 levels prohibitive for most other microalgae is an interesting model for studies of CO2 tolerance mechanisms and a promising organism for CO2 biocapture. We studied the initial (0-60 min) phase of acclimation of this microalga to an abrupt decrease in pH of the medium sparged with air/20% CO2 mixture. Acclimation of the culture to these conditions was accompanied by a sharp decrease in photochemical activity of the chloroplast followed by its recovery with a characteristic time of 10-50 min. We hypothesize that acidification of the cultivation medium by dissolving CO2 plays a key role in the observed decrease in the photochemical activity. The possible role of photosynthetic apparatus tolerance to abrupt acidification in overall high tolerance of symbiotic microalgae to extremely high CO2 levels is discussed.