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Effects of light quality on growth rates and pigments of Chaetoceros gracilis (Bacillariophyceae)

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Abstract

Light is an important parameter in algal culturing. In this work, the effects of different light qualities on growth of the marine diatom Chaetoceros gracilis are evaluated. The cells were cultured under light quantum flux density of 60 µmol photons/(m2·s) with nine light qualities: LED red light (LR), LED blue light (LB), LED red plus LED blue light (LR+LB), LED white light (LW), fluorescent white light (FW), and combinations of LW and FW lights with increased proportions of red or blue light (FW+LR, FW+LB, LW+LR, and LW+LB). Blue light promoted the growth of C. gracilis largely. Three light qualities, FW+LR, LW+LR, and LR, resulted in the lowest growth rate. Both chlorophyll and carotenoids reached the highest level under LB and the lowest level under LR among monochromatic light sources; however, increasing of the proportion of blue or red light in the white light induced an increase of the chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations. Light absorption ability of microalgae was critical for the growth of these organisms, as we observed a positive correlation between the extinction coefficient at different wavelengths and the specific growth rate. These findings are of importance to improve the culturing of this alga in bioreactors.

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Data Availability Statement

Full information developed from this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. MENG Fanping of the Ocean University of China for providing LED light sources. We thank Dr. LI Xian, Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, for her kind help in measuring the light spectra. The authors also thank Dr. John van der Meer of the Pan-American Marine Biotechnology Association for his assistance with proofreading.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Yongfu Li

  2. Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Yongfu Li

  3. Nantong Research and Development Center of Marine Science and Technology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nantong, 226019, China

    Yongfu Li

  4. School of International Affairs and Public Administration, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Ruiqian Li

  5. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, China

    Xiaoyan Yi

Authors
  1. Yongfu Li
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  2. Ruiqian Li
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  3. Xiaoyan Yi
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Correspondence to Yongfu Li.

Additional information

Supported by the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China (No. ZR2017QC008) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U1706209)

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Li, Y., Li, R. & Yi, X. Effects of light quality on growth rates and pigments of Chaetoceros gracilis (Bacillariophyceae). J. Ocean. Limnol. 38, 795–801 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9171-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9171-0

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