Eitan Salomon

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Researcher at Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research

Nitrogen limitation forces photosynthetic organisms to reallocate available nitrogen to essential functions. At the same time, it increases the probability of photo-damage by limiting the rate of energy-demanding metabolic processes, downstream of the photosynthetic apparatus. Non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria cope with this situation by decreasing th...

The goal of the current research was to study the role of anthocyanin accumulation, O(2)-related photochemical processes and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in the response of desert and Mediterranean plants to drought and excessive light. Plants of Hordeum spontaneum were collected from Mediterranean and desert environments and were subjected to...

Photosynthetic coral reef structures extend from the shallow sundrenched waters to the dimly lit, “twilight” mesophotic depths. For their resident endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, primarily from the genus Symbiodinium spp., this represents a photic environment that varies ~15-fold in intensity and also differs in spectral composition. We examined pho...

Steviol glucosides, such as stevioside and rebaudioside A, are natural products roughly 200-fold sweeter than sugar and are used as natural, noncaloric sweeteners. Biosynthesis of rebaudioside A, and other related stevia glucosides, involves formation of the steviol diterpenoid followed by a series of glycosylations catalyzed by uridine diphosphate...

Seaweeds are the only source for phycocolloids. Commercial applications of phycocolloids depend on their chemical/physical properties, including their gel forming ability. Thus, gel strength values are important for seaweed growers and scientists. Gel strength measurements include the use of texture analyzers or rheometers, which are not always ava...

Photosynthesis is the driving force behind the growth of seaweeds. During the photosynthetic process, seaweeds capture energy from sunlight and use this energy to convert dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugars. These are ultimately converted into building blocks for the seaweed body, such as proteins, fatty acids, and polysaccharide fibers. Eff...

The worldwide supply of agar comes exclusively from a few red seaweed genera and especially from the Gracilaria genus, mostly grown in shallow beaches or tide pools (FAO2018). In recent years, red seaweeds have gained further interest as a potential source for health promoting substances, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. In our res...

Marine macroalgae are considered an untapped source of healthy natural metabolites and their market demand is rapidly increasing. Intertidal macroalgae present chemical defense mechanisms that enable them to thrive under changing environmental conditions. These intracellular chemicals include compounds that can be used for human benefit. The aim of...

Seaweeds may contain significant amounts of essential proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals, offering an alternative, sustainable, healthy food source from the sea. However, there are yet challenges impending their full exploitation. Our study presents an innovative, two-step aquaculture approach integrating seaweeds and finfish, dedicated to enric...

The form of inorganic nitrogen (N) determines the biofiltration performance of Ulva, particularly by inhibition of nitrate assimilation in the presence of ammonia. In the current study, Ulva fasciata from a biofilter of fishponds effluent was examined for its biomass production, photosynthetic activity, nutrient uptake and activity of nitrate reduc...

The functions of micronutrient transition metals in photosynthetic organisms are interconnected. So are the effects of their limitation. Here we present evidence for the effects of Mn limitation on Fe limitation responses in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Low Mn acclimated cells were able to detect and respond to iron insufficiency...

Iron and manganese are part of a small group of transition metals required for photosynthetic electron transport. Here, we present evidence for a functional link between iron and manganese homeostasis. In the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, Fe and Mn deprivation resulted in distinct modifications of the physiological status....

Transport and accumulation pathways of manganese are of key relevance in photosynthetic organisms due to the unique role of this transition metal as indispensable constituent of the catalytic site of the water oxidizing complex (WOC) in Photosystem II (PSII) (see also Chap. 13). As a result, Mn bioavailability directly affects photosystem II functi...

Manganese import, transport, accumulation, sensing and control pathways are important for all organisms, and of unique importance for oxygenic photosynthetic organisms due to their role in the catalysis of water oxidation by photosystem II (PSII) complexes. In this review we will describe the general aspects of Mn biochemistry, its known roles in c...

Manganese (Mn) ions are essential for oxygen evolution activity in photoautotrophs. In this paper, we demonstrate the dynamic response of the photosynthetic apparatus to changes in Mn bioavailability in cyanobacteria. Cultures of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 could grow on Mn concentrations as low as 100 nm without any observable effect...