The contribution of biophysical and biochemical CO₂ concentration mechanisms to the carbon fixation of the green macroalga Ulva prolifera

CO₂ concentration mechanisms (CCMs) are important in maintaining the high efficiency of photosynthesis of marine algae. Aquatic photoautotrophs have two types of CCMs: biophysical CCMs, based on the conversion of inorganic carbon, and biochemical CCMs, based on the formation of C₄ acid intermediates. However, the contribution of biophysical and biochemical CCMs to algal carbon fixation remains unclear. Here, we used ethoxyzolamide (EZ) inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase and 3-mercaptopicolinic acid (MPA) inhibitors for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase to examine the importance of biophysical and biochemical CCMs in photosynthesis of the green macroalga Ulva prolifera. The culture experiments showed that the carbon fixation of the species declined when EZ inhibited the biophysical CCM, while the increase in cyclic electron flow around the photosystem I indicated a more active biochemical CCM, contributing to ~ 50% of total carbon fixation. The biophysical CCM was also reinforced when MPA inhibited the biochemical CCM. In a comparison, the biophysical CCM can compensate for almost 100% of total carbon fixation. The results indicate that biophysical CCMs dominate the process of carbon fixation of U. prolifera while biochemical CCM plays a supporting role. Our results provide evidence of a complementary coordination mechanism between the biophysical and biochemical CCMs that promotes the efficiency of photosynthesis of U. prolifera, an efficient mechanism to boost the alga’s bloom.