C-13 AND N-15 UPTAKE BY MARINE-PHYTOPLANKTON .1. INFLUENCE OF NITROGEN-SOURCE AND CONCENTRATION IN LABORATORY CULTURES OF DIATOMS

Two species of marine diatoms, Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve and Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin were grown in batch and continuous cultures on four different nitrogen compounds (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, urea). Carbon and nitrogen uptake were measured simultaneously with the stable isotopes 13C and 15N. Nitrogen uptake generally increased with N concentration in the medium, but no clear difference existed between the N sources. Carbon fixation was decreased for up to 5 h following the addition of the N compound. Nitrite generally had the greatest inhibitory effect on C uptake. Carbon‐to‐nitrogen uptake ratios decreased with increasing dissolved N concentration, becoming lower than one in nutrient‐limited cultures. In contrast, batch cultures exhibited C:N uptake ratios greater than one. These effects are essentially short‐term and differ from long‐term influences of the N source on the cellular chemical composition. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved