Abstract
Spirulina platensis (= Arthrospira fusiformis) was isolated from Lake Chitu, a saline, alkaline lake in Ethiopia, where it forms an almost unialgal population. Optimum growth conditions were studied in a turbidostat. Cultures grown in modified Zarrouk's medium and exposed to a range of light intensities (20–500 µmol photons m−2s−1) showed a maximum specific growth rate (µmax) of 1.78 d−1. Quantum yield for growth (Φµ) was 3.8% at the optimum light for growth of 330 µmol photons m−2s−1, and ranged from 2.8 to 9.4%. With increase in irradiance, the chlorophyll a concentration decreased, and the carotenoids/chlorophyll a ratio increased by a factor of 2.4. The phosphorus to carbon ratio (P/C) showed some variation, while the nitrogen to carbon ratio (N/C) remained relatively constant, thus causing fluctuations in the N:P ratio (7–11) of cells. An optimum N:P ratio of about 7 was attained in cells growing at the optimum light for growth. Results from the continuous culture experiments agreed well with maximum values of photosynthetic efficiency given in the literature for natural populations of S. platensis in the soda lakes of East Africa, Lake Arenguade (Ethiopia), and Lake Simbi (Kenya).
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ahlgren, I. & G. Ahlgren, 1976. Vattenkemiska analysmetoder sammanställda för undervisningen i limnologi (Methods of water-chemical analyses compiled for instruction in limnology, English translation 1978). Institute of Limnology, Uppsala, Sweden, 112 pp.
Aiba, S. & T. Ogawa, 1977. Assessment of growth yield of blue-green alga, Spirulina platensis in axenic and continuous culture. J. Gen. Microbiol. 102: 179–182.
Amha Belay, Y. Ota, K. Miyakawa & H. Shimamatsu, 1993. Current knowledge on potential health benefits of Spirulina. J. appl. Phycol. 5: 235–241.
Ciferri, O. & O. Tiboni, 1985. The biochemistry and industrial potential of Spirulina. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 39: 503–526.
Espie, G. S., A. G. Miller, R. A. Kandasamy & D. T. Canvin, 1991. Active HCO −3 transport in cyanobacteria. Can. J. Bot. 69: 936–944.
Falkowski, P. G., Z. Dubinsky & K. Wyman, 1985. Growth-irradiance relationships in phytoplankton. Limnol. Oceanogr. 30: 311–321.
Gallegos, C. L. & T. Platt, 1981. Photosynthesis measurements on natural populations of phytoplankton: numerical analysis. In T. Platt (ed.), Physiological bases of phytoplankton ecology. Can. Bull. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 210: 103–112.
George, E. A., 1976. Culture centre of algae and protozoa. List of strains 1976, 3rd edition. Inst. Terr. Ecol., Nat. Environment Res. Counc., Cambridge, 120 pp.
Grobbelaar, J. U. & C. J. Soeder, 1985. Respiration losses in planktonic green algae cultivated in raceway ponds. J. Plankton Res. 7: 497–506.
Halldal, P., 1970. The photosynthetic apparatus of microalgae and its adaptation to environmental factors. In P. Halldal (ed.), Photobiology of microorganisms. Wiley-Interscience, London: 17–55.
Harris, G. P., 1978. Photosynthesis, productivity and growth: the physiological ecology of phytoplankton. Arch. Hydrobiol. Beih. (Ergebn. Limnol.) 10: 1–171.
Iehana, M., 1983. Kinetic analysis of the growth of Spirulina sp. in continuous culture. J. Ferment. Technol. 61: 457–466.
Jassby, A. D. & T. Platt, 1976. Mathematical formulation of the relationship between photosynthesis and light for phytoplankton. Limnol. Oceanogr. 21: 540–547.
Jensen, S. & G. Knutsen, 1993. Influence of light and temperature on photoinhibition of photosynthesis in Spirulina platensis. J. appl. Phycol. 5: 495–504.
Kappers, F. I., 1984. On population dynamics of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. PhD Dissertation, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 175 pp.
Kiefer, D. A. & B. G. Mitchell, 1983. A simple, steady state description of phytoplankton growth based on absorption cross section and quantum efficiency. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28: 770–776.
Komarek, J. & J. W. G. Lund, 1990. What is ‘Spirulina platensis’ in fact? Arch. Hydrobiol./Suppl. 85, Algolog. Stud. 58: 1–13.
Markager, S., 1993. Light absorption and quantum yield for growth in five species of marine macroalgae. J. Phycol. 29: 54–63.
Martel, A., S. Yu, G. Garcia-Reina, P. Lindblad & M. Pedersén, 1992. Osmotic-adjustment in the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis: presence of an α-glucosidase. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 30: 573–578.
Medlin, L. K., H. J. Elwood, S. Stickel & M. L. Sogin, 1991. Morphological and genetic variation within the diatom Skeletonema costatum (Bacillariophyta): evidence for a new species, Skeletonema pseudocostatum. J. Phycol. 27: 514–524.
Melack, J. M., 1979. Photosynthesis and growth of Spirulina platensis (Cyanophyta) in an equatorial lake (Lake Simbi, Kenya). Limnol. Oceanogr. 24: 753–760.
Ogawa, T. & S. Aiba, 1978. CO2 assimilation and growth of a bluegreen alga, Spirulina platensis, in continuous culture. J. Appl. Chem. Biotechnol. 28: 515–521.
Ogawa, T. & G. Teruyi, 1970. Studies on the growth of Spirulina platensis. I. On the pure culture of Spirulina platensis. J. Ferment. Technol. 48: 361–367.
Ogawa, T., H. Kozasa & G. Teruyi, 1971. Studies on the growth of Spirulina platensis. II. Growth kinetics of an autotrophic culture. J. Ferment. Technol. 50: 143–149.
Olaizola, M. & E. O. Duerr, 1990. Effects of light intensity and quality on the growth rate and photosynthetic pigment content of Spirulina platensis. J. appl. Phycol. 2: 97–104.
Platt, T. & C. L. Gallegos, 1980. Modelling primary production. In P. G. Falkowski (ed.), Primary productivity in the sea. Plenum Press, New York: 339–362.
Platt, T. & A. D. Jassby, 1976. The relationship between photsynthesis and light for natural assemblages of coastal marine phytoplankton. J. Phycol. 12: 421–430.
Raven, J. A., 1984. A cost-benefit analysis of photon absorption by photosynthetic unicells. New Phytol. 98: 593–625.
Reynolds, C. S., 1984. The ecology of freshwater phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 384 pp.
Talling, J. F., 1957. Photosynthetic characteristics of some freshwater plankton diatoms in relation to underwater radiation. New Phytol. 56: 133–149.
Talling, J. F., 1966. Photosynthetic behaviour in stratified and unstratified lake populations of a planktonic diatom. J. Ecol. 54: 99–127.
Talling, J. F., R. B. Wood, M. V. Prosser & R. M. Baxter, 1973. The upper limit of photosynthetic productivity by phytoplankton: evidence from Ethiopian soda lakes. Freshwat. Biol. 3: 53–76.
Tanticharoen, M., M. Reungjitchachawali, B. Bunnag, P. Vonktaveesuk, A. Vonshak & Z. Cohen, 1994. Optimization of λ-linolenic acid (GLA) production in Spirulina platensis. J. appl. Phycol. 6: 295–300.
Tedesco, M. A. & E. O. Duerr, 1989. Light, temperature and nitrogen starvation effects on the total lipid and fatty acid content and composition of Spirulina platensis UTEX 1928. J. appl. Phycol. 1: 201–209.
Tilzer, M. M., 1987. Light-dependence of photosynthesis and growth in cyanobacteria: implications for their dominance in eutrophic lakes. New Zealand J. Mar. Freshwat. Res. 21: 401–412.
Van Liere, L., 1979. On Oscillatoria agardhii Gormont, experimental ecology and physiology of a nuisance bloom-forming cyanobacterium. PhD Dissertation, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 98 pp.
Van Liere, L., W. Zevenboom & L. R. Mur, 1975. Growth of Oscillatoria agardhii Gom. Hydrobiol. Bull. 9: 62–70.
Vareschi, E., 1979. The ecology of Lake Nakuru (Kenya). II. Biomass and spatial distribution of fish (Tilapia grahami Boulenger = Sarotherodon alcalicum grahami Boulenger). Oecologia (Berl.) 37: 321–335.
Vareschi, E. & J. Jacobs, 1984. The ecology of Lake Nakuru (Kenya). V. Production and consumption of consumer organisms. Oecologia (Berl.) 61: 83–98.
Vonshak, A., 1990. Recent advances in microbial biotechnology. Biotech. Adv. 8: 709–727.
Vonshak, A., A. Abeliovich, S. Boussiba, S. Arad & A. Richmond, 1982. Production of Spirulina biomass: effects of environmental factors and population density. Biomass 2: 175–185.
Vonshak, A. & A. Richmond, 1988. Mass production of Spirulina an overview. Biomass 15: 233–248.
Vonshak, A., G. Torzillo & L. Tomaseli, 1994. Use of chlorophyll fluorescence to estimate the effect of photoinhibition in outdoor cultures of Spirulina platensis. J. appl. Phycol. 6: 31–34.
Warr, S. R. C., R. H. Reed, J. A. Chudek, R. Foster & W. D. P. Stewart, 1985. Osmotic adjustment in Spirulina platensis. Planta 163: 424–429.
Zarrouk, C., 1966. Contribution a l' étude d'une cyanophycée'. Influence de diverse facteures physiques et chimiques sur la croissance et la photosynthese de Spirulina maxima (Setch. et Gardner) Geitler. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Paris, France, 74 pp.
Zevenboom, W., J. van der Does, K. Bruning & L. R. Mur, 1981. A non-heterocystous mutant of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, selected by competition in light-limited continuous culture. FEMS Microbiology Letters 10: 11–16.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kebede, E., Ahlgren, G. Optimum growth conditions and light utilization efficiency of Spirulina platensis (= Arthrospira fusiformis) (Cyanophyta) from Lake Chitu, Ethiopia. Hydrobiologia 332, 99–109 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016689
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016689