title: MICROSPECTROPHOTOMETRY AS A METHOD TO IDENTIFY KLEPTOPLASTIDS IN THE NAKED FRESHWATER DINOFLAGELLATE GYMNODINIUM ACIDOTUM(1).
abstract: A relatively small number of freshwater dinoflagellates are involved in symbiotic association with cryptophytes. The chloroplasts of the cryptophytes are retained by the dinoflagellate and give it the characteristic phycobilin pigmentation, either phycoerythrin or phycocyanin. The pigment characterization of the retained chloroplasts can give precise and accurate information about the type of cryptophyte preyed upon by the dinoflagellate. For this purpose, we performed microspectrophotometric evaluation of the pigments of Gymnodinium acidotum Nygaard and three different cryptophytes present in samples collected from a tributary of the river Arno, in Tuscany (Italy). The comparison of the different spectroscopic data allowed us to discriminate effectively among the cryptophytes preyed upon by the dinoflagellate.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica, Istituto Scienza Tecnologia Informazione, Area della Ricerca CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barsanti
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica, Istituto Scienza Tecnologia Informazione, Area della Ricerca CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Valtere
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica, Istituto Scienza Tecnologia Informazione, Area della Ricerca CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Passarelli
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica, Istituto Scienza Tecnologia Informazione, Area della Ricerca CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Frassanito
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica, Istituto Scienza Tecnologia Informazione, Area della Ricerca CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Primo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coltelli
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica, Istituto Scienza Tecnologia Informazione, Area della Ricerca CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gualtieri
keywords: algae; cryptophyte; dinoflagellates; microspectroscopy; pigment