Protective pigmentation in UVB-screened Antarctic lichens studied by Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy: an extremophile bioresponse to radiation stress

Edwards, Howell G.M.; Cockell, Charles S.; Newton, Emma M. and Wynn-Williams, David D. (2004). Protective pigmentation in UVB-screened Antarctic lichens studied by Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy: an extremophile bioresponse to radiation stress. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 35(6) pp. 463–469.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.1172

Abstract

FT-Raman spectra were obtained for two Antarctic extremophiles, the epilithic lichens Xanthoria elegans and Caloplaca sublobulata from the maritime ecological long-term research site on Leonie Island. Twelve specimens from cloches designed for the filtering out and transmission of UVB radiation over a 2 year period and two specimens from the natural habitat outside the cloches were analysed in terms of their characteristic Raman bands from the two photoprotective pigments parietin and -carotene. Following chemometric analysis, the specimens inside the UVB-protective cloches exhibited a lower parietin:-carotene ratio than specimens from the same habitat that did not have UVB protection. The relative roles of parietin, a passive UVB photoprotectant, and -carotene are discussed and a possible duality of biological function is suggested for these pigments.

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