Skip to main content
Log in

Primary production and heterotrophy of a pennate and a centric salt marsh diatom

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Radionuclide labeled sodium bicarbonate and glucose were used to measure the rates of primary production and glucose uptake by Nitzschia obtusa var. undulata and Cymbella pusilla. The presence of glucose in the medium enhanced primary production in both diatom species. Uptake of glucose in C. pusilla was photoinhibited. A maximum of 9.3 nmol C mg dry wt-1 h-1 of glucose was taken up in the light without the presence of NaHCO3 in the medium and with NaHCO3 present the value was 18 nmol C mg dry wt-1 h-1. The ratio of inorganic carbon fixed to the total carbon budget (autotrophy and heterotrophy) was 0.51 for N. obtusa var. undulata and 0.62 for C. pusilla.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Admiraal, W.: Influence of light and temperature on the growth rate of estuarine benthic diatoms in culture. Mar. Biol. 31, 1–9 (1977a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Admiraal, W.: Salinity tolerance of benthic estuarine diatoms as tested with a rapid polarographic measurement of photosynthesis. Mar. Biol. 31, 11–18 (1977b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beardall, J., D. Makerji, H. E. Glover and I. I. Morris: The path of carbon in photosynthesis by marine phytoplankton. J. Phycol. 12, 409–417 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Burris, J. E.: Photosynthesis, photorespiration and dark respiration of light species of algae. Mar. Biol. 39, 371–379 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cadee, G. C. and J. Hegeman: Primary production of the benthic microflora living in tidal flats in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 8, 260–291 (1974)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, E. J. and J. S. Lively: Review of estimates of algal growth using 14C tracer techniques. In: Primary productivity in the sea, pp 161–178. Ed. by P. G. Falkowski. New York: Plenum Press 1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, A. T.: Comparative physiological study of marine diatoms and dinoflagellates in relation to irradiance and cell size. J. Phycol. 14, 396–402 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Colijn, F. and G. van Buurt: Influence of light and temperature on the photosynthetic rate of marine benthic diatoms. Mar. Biol. 31, 209–214 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooksey, K. E.: Respiratory assimilation of 14C-labeled substrates by a microalga. In: Handbook of phycological methods, physiological and biochemical methods, pp 317–327. Ed. by J. A. Hellebust and J. S. Craigie. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Dring, M. J. and D. H. Jewson What does 14C uptake by phytoplankton really measure? A theoretical modelling approach. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 214, 351–358 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Eppley, R. W.: Temperature and phytoplankton growth in the sea. Fish. Bull. US 70, 1063–1085 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkowski, P. G.: Light shade adaptation in marine phytoplankton. In: Primary productivity in the sea, pp 99–119. Ed. By P. G. Falkowski. New York: Plenum Press 1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Gargas, E.: Measurements of primary production, dark fixation and vertical distribution of the microbenthic algae in the Oresund. Ophelia 8, 231–253 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Guillard, R. R. L. and J. A. Hellebust: Growth and the production of extracellular substances by two strains of Phaeocystis poucheti. J. Phycol. 7, 330–338 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellebust, J. A.: Glucose uptake by Cyclotella cryptica: dark induction and light activation of transport system. J. Phycol. 7, 345–349 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellebust, J. A.: Extracellular products. In: Algal physiology and biochemistry, pp 838–863. Ed. by W. D. P. Stewart. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellebust, J. A. and J. Lewin: Heterotrophic nutrition. In: Biology of diatoms, pp 169–197. Ed. by D. Werner. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press 1976

    Google Scholar 

  • Iverson, R. L., H. P. Bittaker and V. B. Myers: Loss of radiocarbon in direct use of Aquasol for liquid scintillation counting of solutes containing 14C-NaHCO3. Limnol. Oceanogr. 21, 756–758 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonge, V. N. and H. Postma: Phosphorus compounds in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 8, 139–153 (1974)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kremer, B. P.: Determination of photosynthetic rates and 14C photoassimilatory products of brown seaweeds. In: Handbook of phycological methods, physiological and biochemical methods, pp 269–283. Ed. by J. A. Hellebust and J. S. Craigie. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, J. H.: Epibenthic algal production in an intertidal mudflat. Limnol. Oceanogr. 15, 514–521 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. J., J. H. Tietjen, R. J. Stone, W. A. Muller, M. McEnery, N. M. Saks, C. Mastropaolo and E. Kennedy: The effect of environmental stress on the community structure, productivity, energy flow and mineral cycling in salt marsh epiphytic communities. Proc. nat. Symp. Radioecol. 3, 816–828 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. J., M. E. McEnery, E. Kennedy and H. Rubin: A nutritional analysis of a sublittoral epiphytic diatom assemblage from a Long Island salt marsh. J. Phycol. 11, 14–49 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mague, T. H., E. Friberg, D. J. Hughes and I. Morris: Extracellular release of carbon by marine phytoplankton; a physiological approach. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25, 262–279 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nalewajko, C.: Release of organic substances. In: Handbook of phycological methods, physiological and biochemical methods, pp 389–398. Ed. by J. A. Hellebust and J. S. Craigie. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Paasche, E.: The influence of salinity on the growth of some planktonic diatoms from brackish waters. Norw. J. Bot. 22, 209–215 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomeroy, L. R.: Algal productivity in salt marshes of Georgia. Limnol. Oceanogr. 4, 386–397 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Riper, D. M., T. G. Owens and P. G. Falkowski: Chlorophyll turnover in Skeletonema costatum, a marine planktonic diatom. Plant Physiol. 64, 49–54 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Riznyk, R. Z., J. J. Edens and R. C. Libby: Production of epibenthic diatoms in a southern California impounded estuary. J. Phycol. 14, 273–279 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Saks, N. M., R. J. Stone and J. J. Lee: Autotrophic and heterotrophic nutritional budget of salt marsh epiphytic algae. J. Phycol. 12, 443–448 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schelske, C. L., E. F. Stoermer and L. E. Feldt: Nutrients, phytoplankton productivity and species composition as influenced by upwelling in Lake Michigan. Proc. 14th Conf. Great Lakes Res., pp 102–113 (1971)

  • Strickland, J. D. H. and T. R. Parsons: A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 167, 27–34 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. W.: Light and photosynthesis in intertidal benthic diatoms. Helgol. wiss. Meeresunters. 10, 29–37 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, W. H., A. W. Dodson and F. M. H. Reid: Diatom productivity compared to other algae in natural marine phytoplankton assemblages. J. Phycol. 14, 250–253 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • White, A. W.: Uptake of organic compounds by two facultatively heterotrophic marine centric diatoms. J. Phycol. 10, 433–438 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by S. K. Pierce, College Park

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saks, N.M. Primary production and heterotrophy of a pennate and a centric salt marsh diatom. Marine Biology 76, 241–246 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393023

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393023

Keywords

Navigation