The Metabolism of Nitrate and Ammonia by Chlorella

Abstract

In an investigation of the effects of manganese deficiency in Chlorella (11, 12) it was observed that the amlino acid composition of cells fed ammonium chloride differs from that of cells given potassium nitrate. To study this further, the changes in non- protein amino acids were measured after the addition of ammonium chloride or potassium nitrate to nitrogen deficient cultures grown either autotrophically or mixotrophically. The results are of interest with respect to the conversion of inorganic nitrogeni to organic forms.