Effects of acid stress on Scenedesmus quadricauda (chlorophyta) and Anabaena sp. (cyanophyta)

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 UTC 1984

OSTI ID:5776628

Hadden-Carter, P J

The effects of pH in conjunction with light and temperature on growth of Scenedesmus quadricauda (Chlorophyta) and Anabaena sp. (Cyanophyta) were examined in culture. Decreasing pH from 7 to 3 inhibited growth, more so in the blue-green alga. Effects were greatly influenced by light and temperature. Above a critical level (pH4 with the blue-green, pH 3 with the green) both algae recovered when acid stress was removed; post-acidification growth rates varied inversely with pH for the green alga and directly for the blue-green. Two sheathed blue-green algae (Lyngbya and Gleocapsa) grew below pH 6, while two unsheathed blue-green algae (Anabaena and Oscillatoria) did not. Cell dimensions of both S. quadricaude and Anabaena sp. generally increased as pH declined; the green alga was the more plastic of the two. Acid stress significantly decreased photosynthetic rate in S. quadricauda but did not for Anabaena sp. Respiratory rates were not significantly related to pH for either alga. Chlorophyll a per cell was higher than controls (pH 7) at pH 5 and 6 in Anabaena sp. and at pH 4 through 6 for S. quadricauda. Both cell division and total culture biomass declined with pH. When grown in mixed culture, the green alga usually predominated at pH 4 and often at pH 5; the blue-green was favored at lower light intensities and higher temperatures. In no instance did one alga stimulate growth of the other, although mutual inhibition occurred in several instances.

• OSTI ID: 5776628
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560303* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ALGAE
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GROWTH
PH VALUE
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
RADIATIONS
RAIN
RESPIRATION
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
VISIBLE RADIATION