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The composition and diversity of dinosporin in species of the Apectodinium complex (Dinoflagellata)

The composition and diversity of dinosporin in species of the Apectodinium complex (Dinoflagellata)
The composition and diversity of dinosporin in species of the Apectodinium complex (Dinoflagellata)
Organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts, produced as a result of sexual reproduction, are important tools for studies on recent and past environments. Additionally, the organic-walled cysts can be used as proxies for understanding the composition and chemical transformations of marine kerogen, the largest global organic carbon pool. However, any usage of dinoflagellate cysts in this manner is predicated on an understanding of the composition and transformations of this potential proxy. Dinoflagellate cyst walls are composed of “dinosporin”, a refractory biomacromolecule that probably represents a suite of chemically distinct biopolymers. In order to investigate both the nature of dinosporin and the extent to which the composition of this biomacromolecule may differ between dinoflagellate cyst taxa, we analyzed cyst species from the genus Apectodinium. The species defined within this genus are visually similar with several seeming to represent end-members along a continuum of morphological variation. Micro-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was performed on three of these morphospecies (identified visually as A. paniculatum, A. parvum and A. augustum) from two regionally distinct samples. The analyses showed consistent patterns with clear differences between the species. The dinosporin of A. paniculatum closely resembles cellulose and is rich in ether bonds (Csingle bondO), while the dinosporin of A. augustum contains more carboxyl (COOH) groups. A. parvum appears intermediate in many respects, despite representing an end-member in terms of morphology. These differences are consistent regardless of the regional setting or post-depositional conditions, and strongly suggest that the original cyst wall composition of the species differed when the cysts were formed. These data are the first to clearly show differences in cyst wall composition between species of the same genus and indicate that the chemical diversity of dinosporins is greater than previously thought.
dinosporin, dinoflagellate, Apectodinium, cyst wall, biomacromolecule, FTIR
0034-6667
21-31
Bogus, Kara
5f071962-dae7-4883-8167-3a4f78b99d79
Harding, Ian C.
5d63b829-a9a7-447f-aa3f-62e8d0e715cb
King, Adrian
145f91f1-6fb7-4142-b612-4ac2f2d0d9b4
Charles, Adam J.
dfed4bbd-ea2a-4ff9-81f5-de2af563943b
Zonneveld, Karin A.F.
3fbc6d7b-2709-4d93-832b-ceb6e4708019
Versteegh, Gerard J.M.
10ff39cd-6cc1-42a3-be31-1060a3a2ad93
Bogus, Kara
5f071962-dae7-4883-8167-3a4f78b99d79
Harding, Ian C.
5d63b829-a9a7-447f-aa3f-62e8d0e715cb
King, Adrian
145f91f1-6fb7-4142-b612-4ac2f2d0d9b4
Charles, Adam J.
dfed4bbd-ea2a-4ff9-81f5-de2af563943b
Zonneveld, Karin A.F.
3fbc6d7b-2709-4d93-832b-ceb6e4708019
Versteegh, Gerard J.M.
10ff39cd-6cc1-42a3-be31-1060a3a2ad93

Bogus, Kara, Harding, Ian C., King, Adrian, Charles, Adam J., Zonneveld, Karin A.F. and Versteegh, Gerard J.M. (2012) The composition and diversity of dinosporin in species of the Apectodinium complex (Dinoflagellata). Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 183, 21-31. (doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2012.07.001).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts, produced as a result of sexual reproduction, are important tools for studies on recent and past environments. Additionally, the organic-walled cysts can be used as proxies for understanding the composition and chemical transformations of marine kerogen, the largest global organic carbon pool. However, any usage of dinoflagellate cysts in this manner is predicated on an understanding of the composition and transformations of this potential proxy. Dinoflagellate cyst walls are composed of “dinosporin”, a refractory biomacromolecule that probably represents a suite of chemically distinct biopolymers. In order to investigate both the nature of dinosporin and the extent to which the composition of this biomacromolecule may differ between dinoflagellate cyst taxa, we analyzed cyst species from the genus Apectodinium. The species defined within this genus are visually similar with several seeming to represent end-members along a continuum of morphological variation. Micro-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was performed on three of these morphospecies (identified visually as A. paniculatum, A. parvum and A. augustum) from two regionally distinct samples. The analyses showed consistent patterns with clear differences between the species. The dinosporin of A. paniculatum closely resembles cellulose and is rich in ether bonds (Csingle bondO), while the dinosporin of A. augustum contains more carboxyl (COOH) groups. A. parvum appears intermediate in many respects, despite representing an end-member in terms of morphology. These differences are consistent regardless of the regional setting or post-depositional conditions, and strongly suggest that the original cyst wall composition of the species differed when the cysts were formed. These data are the first to clearly show differences in cyst wall composition between species of the same genus and indicate that the chemical diversity of dinosporins is greater than previously thought.

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More information

Published date: 2012
Keywords: dinosporin, dinoflagellate, Apectodinium, cyst wall, biomacromolecule, FTIR
Organisations: Paleooceanography & Palaeoclimate

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 343314
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/343314
ISSN: 0034-6667
PURE UUID: a2af8f7c-6046-442f-a10b-e0c6790a2367
ORCID for Ian C. Harding: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4281-0581

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Date deposited: 01 Oct 2012 10:58
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:40

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Contributors

Author: Kara Bogus
Author: Ian C. Harding ORCID iD
Author: Adrian King
Author: Adam J. Charles
Author: Karin A.F. Zonneveld
Author: Gerard J.M. Versteegh

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