Productivity of the cyanobacterium spirulina platensis in cultures using high bicarbonate and different nitrogen sources

Abstract

The interactions of bicarbonate (HCO3_) and different nitrogen sources in the non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis in terms of pigments content, photosynthetic O2 evolution, Ca++-dependent ATPase activity and cytochrome c oxidase activity were examined in the present investigation. The cyanobacterium was acclimated to 300 mol m-3 HCO3- -concentrations in the growth medium containing no nitrogen. The addition of different nitrogen sources in the growth medium resulted in further acclimatization up to 400 mol m_s HCO3_. This finding revealed that nitrogen sources incorporated into necessary metabolites, nitrogen storage material and photosynthetic pigments as well. The combined transport of HCO3_and nitrogen sources ultimately resulted in gradual increase in the examined parameters in order of NO3_