Photosynthetic and growth response of freshwater picocyanobacteria are strain-specific and sensitive to photoacclimation

We investigated the effect of different light conditions on primary production and growth rates of three closely related freshwater picocyanobacterial strains from three different ribotypes in laboratory cultures. The primary goal was to test whether not only different pigment types (PC-rich versus PE-rich) but also other physiological characteristics suggested by different phylogenetic positions could affect growth and photosynthetic rates of picocyanobacteria. Secondly, we tested whether photacclimation is strain specific. Experiments were conducted over light intensities ranging from 6 to 1500 μmol photons m−2 s−1 with cultures that were acclimated to low (10 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and moderate (100 μmol photons m−2 s−1) irradiance. The PE-rich strain was sensitive to high light conditions and reached highest photosynthesis and growth rates at low light intensities. The relative effect of photoacclimation was different between the two PC-rich strains, with one strain showing only moderate changes in growth rates in response to the light level used during the acclimation period. Overall, growth rates differed widely in response to light intensity and photoacclimation. Photoacclimation significantly affected both primary production and growth rates of all three strains investigated. We conclude that strain-specific photoacclimation adds to the niche partitioning among closely related freshwater picocyanobacteria.