Original paper
Photosynthate partitioning in phytoplankton dominated by the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria rubescens
Feuillade, Mauricette; Feuillade, Jacques; Pelletier, Jean Pierre
Archiv für Hydrobiologie Volume 125 Number 4 (1992), p. 441 - 461
34 references
published: Oct 19, 1992
DOI: 10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/125/1992/441
ArtNo. ESP141012504003, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
The partitioning of photosynthate into low molecular weight products (LMW), lipids, polysaccharides and proteins in natural phytoplankton in a temperate eutrophic lake (Nantua, France) was investigated monthly during one year, in relation to environmental factors and the phytoplankton species present. In addition, the effect of light intensity on the photosynthetic end-products was studied, using cultures of Oscillatoria rubescens, the dominant species in this lake. During the mixing period, variations in photosynthate content with depth were mostly attributable to light intensity. During the period of thermal stratification when O. rubescens accumulated beneath the thermocline, the relative proportions of the photosynthetic products were dependent on both species composition and nutrient availability. In the O. rubescens layer, carbon incorporation was low in lipids and very high in polysaccharides. The effects of this upon the buoyancy of the cyanobacterium are discussed.
Keywords
phytoplankton • cyanobacteria • Oscillatoria rubescens