Journal of Plankton Research, Vol 21, 1423-1437, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
T Berman and S Chava
Two experimental series were run to evaluate the potential of algal
development on dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds as the sole
source of nitrogen (N) nutrition. Monocultures of several common Lake
Kinneret algae (Pediastrum duplex, Synechococcus sp.,
Microcystis aeruginosa, Aphanizomenon ovalisporum and
Cyclotella sp.) were incubated for 3 weeks in the
laboratory with different inorganic (NH4+,
NO3-) or organic (hypoxanthine, urea, guanine,
ornithine, glucosamine, lysine) nitrogen sources. Even though the cultures
were not axenic, marked differences were observed in algal growth response.
Pediastrum, Cyclotella and
Aphanizomenon grew well on most N sources, and
cyanobacterial growth and yield were consistently greatest when the urea
was the only N source. We also followed algal growth and eventual species
dominance in batch samples of GF/F-filtered lake water, supplemented with
orthophosphate and different inorganic or organic N compounds and
inoculated with concentrated lake phytoplankton. Although no clear impact
on phytoplankton growth (as chlorophyll concentration) was observed, in
seven out of 11 experiments we could discern changes in the algal species
that became dominant in flasks with different organic and inorganic N
sources. Our results are consistent with the proposition that components of
the DON pool are not only an important potential, direct or indirect N
source for phytoplankton, but also that different algal species can exploit
these sources with varying capabilities so that different N substrates may
selectively stimulate the development of dominant algal species.
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Algal growth on organic compounds as nitrogen sources
Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Yigal Allon Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, PO Box, 245, Tiberias 14102, Israel
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