Relationship between Phycoerythrin and Nitrogen Content in Gloiopeltis furcata and Porphyra yezoensis

Seasonal changes of pigment compositionin two intertidal red algae, Gloiopeltis furcata (Postels et Ruprecht) J. Agardh, and Porphyra yezoensis Ueda, were investigated. Chlorophyll α and phycoerythrin levels were high during winter, but decreased in late spring or summer, with accompanying discoloration from deep red to green or yellow. This discoloation corresponded closely to the fluctuationof phycoerythrin content. Nevertheless, photosynthesis capacity was maintained by the increasing water temperature in the field, suggesting that large amounts of phycoerythrin are not necessary for photosynthesis. Phycoerythrin conten correlated significantly with nitrogen content in both species when the nitrogen level was greater than the level of critical content (1.30% DW in G. furcata, and 2.26% DW in P. yezoensis), indicating that phycoerythrin plays a more important role in the nitrogen status as a nitrogen pool than that of nitrogen critical content. Furthermore, the dependence level of the alage on phycoerythrin as a nitrogen pool was greater in P. yezoensis than in G. furcata because of the remarkable increase of phycoerythrin content in P. yezoensis with increasing jnitrogen content.