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Uptake and assimilation of nitrogen by marine diatoms—I. Kinetics of nitrogen uptake

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Proceedings / Indian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Axenic cultures of marine diatoms,Achnanthes hauckiana Grun.,Amphora coffeaeformis (Agardh) Kütz.,Fragilaria pinnata Ehr.,Synedra tabulata (Agardh) Kütz.,Thalassiosira weissflogii (Grun.) Fryxell et Hasle (=Thalassiosira fluviatilis Hustedt) andTriceratium dubium Brightwell isolated from tropical waters were used for a comparative study of kinetics of NO −3 , NO −2 and NH +4 uptake. Nitrogen uptake by diatoms in this study followed the classical kinetics reported by previous workers. Diatoms which showed highK 3 for NO −3 uptake had highK 3 for NH +4 and NO −2 uptake. But no correlation could be obtained between cell size andK 3 for nutrient uptake and an inverse relationship between specific growth rate andK 3 was also not obtained. However, there was good correlation between the observedK 3 and nutrient status of the habitats from which the diatoms were isolated. Studies on the interactions between NO −3 , NO −2 and NH +4 revealed that NH +4 inhibited both NO −2 and NO −3 uptake non-competitively whereas NO −3 of NO −2 inhibited each other in a competitive manner. Inhibition by NO −3 of NO −2 uptake was greater than the reverse situation.

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Author notes

  1. V Sivasubramanian

    Present address: Department of Botany, R M Vivekananda College, 600 004, Madras, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, University of Madras, 600 025, Madras, India

    V Sivasubramanian & V N R Rao

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  1. V Sivasubramanian
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  2. V N R Rao
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Sivasubramanian, V., Rao, V.N.R. Uptake and assimilation of nitrogen by marine diatoms—I. Kinetics of nitrogen uptake. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 98, 71–88 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03053393

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03053393

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