Effects of doubled atmospheric CO2 concentration on the photosynthesis and growth of Chlorella pyrenoidosa cultured at varied levels of light

Abstract

Chlorella pyrenoidosa was cultured with 350 and 700 p.p.m.v. CO 2 at varied levels of light to see the impacts of doubled atmospheric CO2 concentration on its growth and photosynthesis. The CO2 enrichment did not affect the growth rate (μ), but significantly increased the cell density when light was sufficiently supplied. The CO2 enrichment significantly depressed light-saturated photosynthesis and dark respiration in the cells grown under a high-light regime, but not those under a low-light regime. The light-saturating point for photosynthesis and photosynthetic efficiency was not affected by the CO 2 enrichment under either the high-light or low-light conditions.