Chloroplasts morphology investigation with diverse microscopy approaches and inter-specific variation in <i>Laurencia</i> species (Rhodophyta)

doi:2015.30.4.291

Algae > Volume 30(4); 2015 > Article

Algae 2015;30(4): 291-301. doi: https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2015.30.4.291

Chloroplasts morphology investigation with diverse microscopy approaches and inter-specific variation in Laurencia species (Rhodophyta)

Wladimir Costa Paradas¹, Leonardo Rodrigues Andrade², Leonardo Tavares Salgado¹, Ligia Collado-Vides³, Renato Crespo Pereira⁴ and Gilberto Menezes Amado-Filho¹^,*

¹Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (IPJBRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22460-030, Brazil
²Laboratório de Biomineralização, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil
³Department of Biological Sciences and Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
⁴Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ 24001-970, Brazil

*Corresponding Author

Email: gfilho@jbrj.gov.br

ABSTRACT

The present study described with different microscopy approaches chloroplasts lobes in Laurencia sensu latu (Rhodophyta) species and found inter-specific differences among them. Chloroplasts were investigated using confocal laser scanning microscopy (LSM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). Using and TEM and HRSEM images we distinguished chloroplasts with lobes than chloroplasts without lobes in Yuzurua poiteaui var. gemmifera (Harvey) M. J. Wynne and Laurencia dendroidea J. Agardh cortical cells. The LSM images showed chloroplasts lobes (CLs) with different morphologies, varying from thicker and longer undulated projections in Y. poiteaui var. and L. dendroidea to very small and thin tubules as in Laurencia translucida Fujii & Cordeiro-Marino. The diameter and length of CLs from Y. poiteaui var. and L. dendroidea were significantly higher than L. translucida CLs (p < 0.01). Based on LSM observations, we suggest that lobes morphology has a taxonomic validity only to characterize L. translucida species.

Key words: chloroplasts lobes; confocal laser scanning microscopy; Laurencia dendroidea; Laurencia translucida; morphometry; transmission electron microscopy; Yuzurua poiteaui var. gemmifera