Light-temperature interactions on the growth of Antarctic diatoms

Abstract

The combined effect of various temperatures and light intensities on the growth of seven species of antarctic diatoms in culture has been studied. With the exception of Chaetoceros deflandrei whose thermal tolerance is fairly good, these obligatory psychrophils cannot survive in temperatures above 6° to 9° C. Their mean growth rate is relatively low, between 0.24 div d−1 for Corethron criophilum and 0.63 div d−1 for C. deflandrei. Regardless of light intensity, growth rate increased with the temperature to reach a maximum between 3° and 5° C. The highest rates were obtained between 115 and 220 μmol m−2 s−1 with 0.38 div d−1 for C. criophilum, 0.56 div d−1 for Synedra sp. and between 0.71 and 0.88 div d−1 for the other 5 species. A reduction in light intensity from 220 to 46 μmol m−2 s−1 slowed growth by nearly 50%. These results suggest that the combined effect of temperature and light is one of the factors involved in the limitation of antarctic phytoplankton growth. The low temperatures of the environment do not permit rapid growth, which, even under optimal light conditions remains low. In addition, in the euphotic layer, the overall light energy available for algae is considerably reduced due to turbulence, a factor which exacerbates the reduced growth rate.