Light and Dehydration but Not Temperature Drive Photosynthetic Adaptations of Basal Streptophytes (Hormidiella, Streptosarcina and Streptofilum) Living in Terrestrial Habitats

Mattia Pierangelini, Karin Glaser, Tatiana Mikhailyuk, Ulf Karsten, Andreas Holzinger

Streptophyte algae are the ancestors of land plants, and several classes contain taxa that are adapted to an aero-terrestrial lifestyle. In this study, four basal terrestrial streptophytes from the class Klebsormidiophyceae, including Hormidiella parvula; two species of the newly described genus Streptosarcina (S. costaricana and S. arenaria); and the newly described Streptofilum capillatum were investigated for their responses to radiation, desiccation and temperature stress conditions. All the strains showed low-light adaptation (Ik < 70 μmol photons m-2 s-1) but differed in photoprotective capacities (such as non-photochemical quenching). Acclimation to enhanced photon fluence rates (160 μmol photons m-2 s-1) increased photosynthetic performance in H. parvula and S. costaricana but not in S. arenaria, showing that low-light adaptation is a constitutive trait for S. arenaria. This lower-light adaptation of S. arenaria was coupled with a higher desiccation tolerance, providing further evidence that dehydration is a selective force shaping species occurrence in low light. For protection against ultraviolet radiation, all species synthesised and accumulated different amounts of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). Biochemically, MAAs synthesised by Hormidiella and Streptosarcina were similar to MAAs from closely related Klebsormidium spp. but differed in retention time and spectral characteristics in S. capillatum. Unlike the different radiation and dehydration tolerances, Hormidiella, Streptosarcina and Streptofilum displayed preferences for similar thermal conditions. These species showed a temperature dependence of photosynthesis similar to respiration, contrasting with Klebsormidium spp. and highlighting an interspecific diversity in thermal requirements, which could regulate species distributions under temperature changes.