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Seasonal changes in photosynthesis, growth, nitrogen accumulation, and salinity tolerance of Chaetomorpha crassa (Cladophorales, Chlorophyceae)

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Abstract

Mass cultivation of the chlorophyte Chaetomorpha crassa has the potential to serve as a biological filter for the reduction of eutrophication in summertime Japanese waters. In order to clarify the suitability of C. crassa for this purpose, seasonal changes in its photosynthesis, growth, NO3–N uptake, nitrogen content, and salinity tolerance were investigated trimonthly from May 2011 to February 2012, with samples collected in Nagatsuraura Lagoon, northern Japan. Significant effects of seawater temperature on photosynthesis, growth, and nitrogen accumulation were also detected in all four seasons, and all parameters at summer temperatures (24–28 °C) were significantly greater than those at the temperatures of other seasons (8–20 °C). Moreover, compared to the other three seasons, C. crassa showed significantly higher growth rates at 16–4 psu and higher survival percentages at 8–2 psu during the summer. In conclusion, due to its high capacity for growth and nitrogen accumulation, and greater physiological tolerance of low salinity during the elevated temperature period, large-scale cultivation of C. crassa could play a significant role in the bioremediation of both saline and brackish waters during summer.

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank Professor Emeritus K. Taniguchi (deceased) of Tohoku University for supporting this study. We are also grateful to the staff of the Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Technology Center for allowing us to use their seawater for culture experiments and measurements of photosynthesis and nutrient uptake and to Prof. O. Nishimula and Dr. K. Ito for helping with the analysis of seawater nutrient concentrations and tissue nitrogen contents. We are also grateful to T. Igarashi for his support of the C. crassa collection and seawater temperature measurement in Nagatsuraura. This work was partly supported by a grant-in-aid from the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science.

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  1. Xu Gao

    Present address: Institute of Environmental Science, Wonkwang University, Iksan, 54538, South Korea

  2. Hikaru Endo

    Present address: Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, 890-0056, Japan

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  1. Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-0845, Japan

    Xu Gao, Hikaru Endo & Yukio Agatsuma

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Correspondence to Xu Gao.

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Gao, X., Endo, H. & Agatsuma, Y. Seasonal changes in photosynthesis, growth, nitrogen accumulation, and salinity tolerance of Chaetomorpha crassa (Cladophorales, Chlorophyceae). J Appl Phycol 30, 1905–1912 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-017-1381-2

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