Effect of temperature and light intensity on the growth rate of Synura sphagnicola

The chrysophyte Synura sphagnicola Korsch. was isolated froma hypolimnion bloom in a Canadian Shield lake and its abilityto grow at low light and temperature was studied. Growth saturatinglight was much higher than in situ intensities and independentof temperature while compensation intensity decreased with decreasingtemperature. Optimum temperature decreased with decreasing lightintensity. While optimum temperature was lower than generallyseen among temperate water algae, compensating and saturatinglight were similar to those seen in other algae. At low lightand temperature, the growth rate of S. sphagnicola was lowerthan the growth rates under similar conditions of other algae,and appeared insufficient to account for the net rate of chlorophyllaccumulation observed in the bloom from which the alga was isolated.