ISSN:
1365-3040
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
We grew a non-bicarbonate using red seaweed, Lomentaria articulata (Huds.) Lyngb., in media aerated with four O2 concentrations between 10 and 200% of current ambient [O2] and four CO2 concentrations between 67 and 500% of current ambient [CO2], in a factorial design, to determine the effects of gas composition on growth and physiology. The relative growth rate of L. articulata increased with increasing [CO2] up to 200% of current ambient [CO2] but was unaffected by [O2]. The relative growth enhancement, on a carbon basis, was 52% with a doubling of [CO2] but fell to 23% under 5× ambient [CO2]. Plants collected in winter responded more extremely to [CO2] than did plants collected in the summer, although the overall pattern was the same. Discrimination between stable carbon isotopes (Δ13C) increased with increasing [CO2] as would be expected for diffusive CO2 acquisition. Tissue C and N were inversely related to [CO2]. Growth in terms of biomass appeared to be limited by conversion of photosynthate to new biomass rather than simply by diffusion of CO2, suggesting that non-bicarbonate-using macroalgae, such as L. articulata, may not be directly analogous to C3 higher plants in terms of their responses to changing gas composition.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.1999.00492.x
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