Acclimation and photoprotection of young gametophytes of Acrostichum danaeifolium to UV-B stress

The effect of ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B) on cellular ultrastructure, chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoids, and total phenolics of Acrostichum danaeifolium gametophytes was analyzed. The control group of spores was germinated under standard conditions, while the test group of spores was germinated with additional UV-B for 30 min every day for 34 d. The cell characteristics were preserved in gametophytes irradiated with UV-B, but the number of starch grains increased in the chloroplasts and the more developed grana organization in contrast to the chloroplasts of the control group. Chl a content decreased, while Chl b content increased in the gametophytes cultivated with UV-B for 34 d. Contents of lutein and zeaxanthin decreased and trans-β-carotene concentration was enhanced in the gametophytes irradiated with UV-B. The content of total phenolic compounds increased in the gametophytes cultivated with UV-B. Therefore our data suggest that the gametophytes of A. danaeifolium, a fern endemic to the mangrove biome, were sensitive to enhancement of UV-B radiation at the beginning of their development and they exhibited alterations in their ultrastructure, pigment contents, and protective mechanisms of the photosynthetic apparatus, when exposed to this radiation.