| Abstract: | Cultures of Isochrysis galbana Parks and Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin were grown in iron-limited chemostats. With increasing iron deficiency, photosynthetic rate per cell and assimilation number decreased. The pattern of photosynthesis was also altered; in Fe deficient cells the proportion of 14C fixed in glycine and serine decreased with an accompanying increase into alanine after 3 min assimilation. Although there was no significant effect of Fe deficiency on the proportion of 14C incorporated into total amino acids and amides, the percentage of total 14C fixed in protein increased with increasing Fe deficiency. Cellular levels of chlorophyll a, carotenoids, cytochromes and protein also decreased with increasing Fe deficiency. However, the reduction in chlorophyll a/cell was not as great as that of cytochrorne f1 and Fe deficient cells therefore showed a marked increase in chlorophyll a:cytochrorne f1 ratio. |
