Experimental ecology of tropical marine phytoplankton

Qasim, S Z (1973) Experimental ecology of tropical marine phytoplankton. MBAI Special Publication dedicated to Dr.N K Panikkar (1). pp. 80-86.

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Abstract

Experiments dealing with the influence of three environmental factors namely light, salinity and nutrients on the photosynthesis of laboratory cultures indicate that the light requirement for optimum photosynthesis in tropical phytoplankton is much greater than that of temperate forms. At saturating light intensity, photosynthesis seems independent of wavelength. Maximum photosynthesis in many organisms occurs at low salinity which seems an adaptation to regulate their peak production during the monsoon months when nutrients in the nearshore waters are high and salinity is low. Growth kinetics and nutrient requirements of Blddulphia and Ceratium indicate that Biddulphia has a higher value of half saturation constant (K) than that of Ceratium. The former becomes abundant during the monsoon months when the nutrients in the environment are high, and the latter, with a lower Ks, becomes a better competitor at low concentrations of nutrients found during the pre-monsoon months.

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