Influence of nitrogen availability on the biochemical composition of three unicellular marine algae of commercial importance

Chaetoceros calcitrans (Paulsen) Takano, Tetraselmis suecica (Kylin) Butch. and Isochrysis galbana Parke were grown in artificial seawater containing either normal (9·8 mg atoms litre^?1) or reduced (0·613 mg atoms litre^?1) nitrogen. When grown in the nitrogen-deficient medium protein decreased and carbohydrate increased in all three species; lipid, however, increased in Chaetoceros and Isochrysis but decreased in Tetraselmis.The biochemical composition of Tetraselmis and Isochrysis sampled during the post-exponential phase of growth from normal medium was similar to that of cells growing exponentially in nitrogen-deficient medium. Salinities of 10–35‰ did not affect protein levels in Tetraselmis or Isochrysis but carbohydrate increased and lipid decreased in Isochrysis over the salinity range. Temperatures of 18–25 °C had little effect on the cell composition of either species.The energy potentially available from a unit volume of Chaetoceros and Isochrysis cells from normal medium was similar to that from cells grown in nitrogen-deficient conditions in both species. Tetraselmis had 34% more energy available when grown in normal compared to nitrogen-deficient medium.