I am interested in knowing the internal pH of coralline algae cells as well as the pH inside their cellular vacuoles. Has anyone measured the pH inside the vacuoles of a coralline alga? Either via microscopy or some other method?
Hi Laurie. Answering that question will be a substantial step forward in our understanding of internal processes in corallines. I don't know of anyone who has been able to measure pH at this small scale. From some of the stable isotope work I have undertaken, it seems probably that the pH differs in the epithallial cells from the perithallial cells in the CCA and the central elongate medullary cells in articulates. There is certainly a substantial difference in the carbonate composition between these cells suggesting differing calcification processes and possibly associated differing pH. It will be tricky to get any micro sensor through to the sub-surface calcifying cells. Cheers. Merinda.
Thanks Merinda. Do you have any indication from your stable isotope work that the epithallial cells have a lower internal pH than the perithallial cells? From my microsensor work, I see that protons are being pumped away from the surface of CCA, but I am trying to find out where they are going!
Hello Laurie,
Our group here in Brazil did not measure the intracellular pH in coralline algae, but there is a recent paper regarding the indirect measurement of the aragonite saturation states in corals via Raman Spectroscopy, so this could be interesting since it is a non invasive technique.
DOI: 10.5194/bg-14-5253-2017
Hi Laurie
I should have clarified in my answer that I was referring to the cell wall, not the cell vacuole itself. No I have no indication whether the epithallial cells have differing pH. The carbon isotopes are lighter for the perithallial carbonate than the epithallial carbonate suggesting that respired carbon is incorporated into the perithallial calcification but not epithallial. I think that reflects a more open system at the surface than in the perithallus. Our paper on this is in review at the moment.
Cheers
Merinda
Hi all,
Has there been any update on this topic? Does anyone have an idea now of the intracellular pH of coralline cells from the surficial "layers" of pigmented tissue?
Thanks!
Ellie
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