Impact of CO2 fertilization on growth and biomass in marine diatom nitzschia sp.

Despite their microscopic size, marine phytoplankton is responsible for about half of the global primary production and represents the basis of the marine food web. Microalgae are of particular interest because of their rapid growth rates, tolerance to varying environmental conditions and can also fix greater amounts of CO2 per land area than higher plants. Diatoms are the major photosynthesizing organisms contributing over 80% and serve as a vital first link in the food chain. Nitzschia sp. is a unicellular diatom in the class Bacillariophyceae. Marine diatoms are key players in the ocean carbon cycle they have been found to be capable of concentrating CO2 within the cell. This experiment illustrates the importance of CO2 for the growth of the diatoms in sea water. Photosynthesis of diatom Nitzschia sp. is likely to be simulated by increased availability of CO2 which has resulted in high growth and biomass content in CO2 fertilized culture. © 2014 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.