UVB Monochromatic Action Spectrum for the Inhibition of Photosynthetic Oxygen Production in the Green Alga Dunaliella saha

The effect of monochromatic UVB (280–315 nm) irradiation on the photosynthetic activity of the marine green alga Dunaliella salina was investigated by monitoring the rate of oxygen exchange. Samples were irradiated with narrow bands centered at different UV wavelengths (281, 290, 300, 310 and 322 nm). In a first set of experiments the samples were preirradiated keeping constant the irradiance and varying exposure time. By increasing UVB fluence, a wavelength-dependent decrease in the rate of oxygen production was observed. In a second set of experiments oxygen exchange was monitored simultaneously to UVB irradiation. The decline in the rate of oxygen production was sharper at short wavelengths and faster with increasing UVB photon flux density. The photon fluence action spectra derived from the two sets of experiments are in good agreement and indicate a decrease in the UVB-inhibiting effectiveness of two orders of magnitude from about 0.2 (mmol m-2)-1 at 281 nm to about 0.003 (mmol m-2)-1 at 322 nm. The photon flux density action spectrum derived from the second set of experiments indicates a smoother decrease from about 0.2 (pmol s-l m-2)-1 at 281 nm to about 0.05 (pmol s-l m-z)-l at 310 nm.