Abstract

High levels of ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) could represent a danger to seaweeds by affecting their physiological processes and development. The aim of this work was to study the effects of UVB radiation on early developmental stages of commercially and ecologically important marine algal species in southern Chile, considering spores survival and embryos growth. Spores of Mazzaella laminarioides, Gigartina skottsbergii, Sarcothalia crispata and embryos of G. skottsbergii and Macrocystis pyrifera were submitted to treatments of a) photosynthetically active radiation (PAR: Control), b) PAR+UVA (PA) and c) PAR+UVA+UVB (PAB). UV radiation did not affect spore survival of M. laminarioides S. crispata and G. skottsbergii (P=0.55, P=0.6 & P=0.25 respectively), but did provoke differences in the growth rate of G. skottsbergii embryos (P=0.00). Differences in survival and growth of M. pyrifera embryos were also observed (P=0.001 & P=0.007, respectively). Differences in growth of M. pyrifera embryos were observed only in the first five days, whereas changes in survival persisted until the end of the experiment. Additionally, UVB provoked morphological alteration in M. pyrifera embryos, as evidenced by progressive curling. These results suggest that the initial stages of the subtidal algae species G. skottsbergii and M. pyrifera cultivated in laboratory conditions were sensitive to UVA and UVB radiation, and their recruitment and development could be affected as well in natural conditions found in southern South America, where the ozone layer has thinned more than in other parts of the planet. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.