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Nitrogen availability influences the biochemical composition and photosynthesis of tank-cultivated Ulva rigida (Chlorophyta)

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Abstract

Physiological and biochemical changes in relation to inorganic nitrogen availability were studied for tank-cultivated Ulva rigida grown under nitrogen- enriched and nitrogen-depleted seawater. U. rigida was initially cultivated in nitrogen-enriched seawater (daily concentrations of NH4+ and NO3- + NO2- ranged between 0.5–1.7 and 0.06–0.15 mg L-1, respectively), then transferred to nitrogen-depleted seawater where photosynthetic capacity decreased to zero after 23 d. At the time (14 d) when photosynthetic rates were lower than 2.0 μmol O2 g-1 FW min-1 and strong bleaching had occurred, some algae were returned to the initial nitrogen-enriched seawater to study recovery from N-limited growth. Data on biochemical composition (chlorophylls, ash, caloric content, fatty acids and dietary fibres) and colouration varied significantly depending on the nitrogen conditions. C:N ratios correlated significantly with biochemical parameters. Fatty acid (FA) synthesis continued during the N-starvation period; saturated and mono-unsaturated FA increased to a maximun of 72.2%, while poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased to 27.7%. During the N-enriched recovery period, the reverse was found. C:N ratios above 10 correlated with carbohydrate synthesis as shown by the dietary fibre level. Under nitrogen enriched conditions, C:N ratios decreased along with a decrease in fibre level. Under controlled conditions, nitrogen represents a major influence on the development of intensive tank cultivation of Ulva rigida, not only by affecting parameters closely related to nitrogen metabolism but also some clearly influenced by carbon uptake.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Algología Aplicada, Universidad de Las Palmas de G.C., Muelle de Taliarte s/n, 35214, Telde, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain

    Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti, Elena del Campo Fernández, Paula Moreno Díez & Guillermo García Reina

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  1. Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti
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  2. Elena del Campo Fernández
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  3. Paula Moreno Díez
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  4. Guillermo García Reina
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Gómez Pinchetti, J.L., del Campo Fernández, E., Moreno Díez, P. et al. Nitrogen availability influences the biochemical composition and photosynthesis of tank-cultivated Ulva rigida (Chlorophyta). Journal of Applied Phycology 10, 383–389 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008008912991

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