RATES OF GROWTH,RESPIRATION AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF UNICELLULAR ALGAE AS RELATED TO CELL SIZE—A REVIEW1,2 |
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Authors: | Karl Banse |
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Abstract: | The decline of growth rate with increasing species size of unicellular algae grown under uniform conditions is quantified by applying to published data the equation, growth, (cell · time)?1= a (cell carbon)b where a and b are coefficients. The degree of size-dependence might be highest under optimal conditions of growth where b is 0.75. Respiration rate is shown to decline with size in the same manner. It is postulated that gross photosynthesis and processes underlying growth are similarly size-dependent. Growth, efficiency (net over gross photosynthesis) cannot be shown to be size-dependent. Cell size, expressed as carbon, is proposed as a scaling factor in comparative algal physiology. |
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Keywords: | cell carbon gross photosynthesis growth efficiency respiration sailing factors species size unicellular algae |
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