Abstract
Snow algae are photosynthetic microbes that grow on a melting snow surface. The various pigments in their cells can colour the snow red or green. In this study, our aim was to determine the spatial and temporal variations in the algal pigments. Hence, we collected coloured snow during the melting seasons of 2014 and 2015 at Mount (Mt.) Tateyama in Toyama prefecture, Japan. The absorption spectra of snow extracts differed among the samples, and showed peaks of chlorophylls and carotenoids. The spectra could be classified into four types based on the peaks, which corresponded to the relative abundance of pigments in algal cells. Spatial and seasonal variations were observed among the samples. Microscopic observations revealed seven morphotypes of algal cells and the proportion of each cell type significantly differed among the four spectral types. This indicates that the variations in the spectra are due to dominant algal taxa and/or pigments contained in the algal cells. The factor underlying the differences in the spectra remains unclear; nevertheless, the results indicate spatial and seasonal variations in algal pigment composition of red snow at Mt. Tateyama.
