Relationship between Carbon Isotope Discrimination and the Specific Growth Rate of Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Abstract

The relationship between carbon isotope discrimination and the specific growth rate of a green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard (IAM C-238) was studied in the continuous culture system under constant CO2 pressure. In both the nitratelimited and the light-limited conditions, carbon isotope discrimination (∆13C) between alga and CO2 was dependent upon the specific growth rate of alga. The algal value increased with the specific growth rate (µ). In natural environments, the variations in carbon isotope ratio of phytoplankton or particulate organic carbon may be mainly attributed to change in the specific growth rate of phytoplankton, at least for the case in which the δ13C values for CO2 (aq) and HCO3- in water are kept constant. © 1991, The Japanese Society of Limnology. All rights reserved.