Laminaria digitata gametophyte survival and microscopic sporophyte formation, abundance and growth during exposure to decreased temperatures

To assess the thermal adaptation of microscopic stages of the kelp Laminaria digitata along latitudes, we conducted laboratory experiments on samples from six locations in the NE Atlantic (Spitsbergen (SPT), Tromsø (TRM), Bodø (BOD; all Norway), Helgoland (HLG; Germany), Roscoff (ROS) and Quiberon (QUI; both France)), spanning the species' entire distribution range. Gametophyte stock cultures from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research were used. Prior to the experiments, cultures were stored at 15°C in iron-free ½ Provasoli enriched seawater in 3-4 µmol photons/m²/s red light. In experiment 2, samples were subjected to (sub-) optimal low temperatures (0-15°C) for 21 days, to assess gametophyte survival, sporophyte formation and growth. During the experiments, samples were kept in 15 µmol photons/m²/s white light under a 16:8h light:dark cycle. Sporophyte growth rates both in length and in width were determined as follows: GR = (x2-x1)/(t2-t1), where x is the length or width (μm) and t is the time in weeks at time point 1 and 2.