Disappearance of gas vacuoles in the blue-green alga Microcystis aeruginosa

Abstract In a culture of Microcystis aeruginosa, which had been transferred from a mineral medium into distilled water, the number of gas vacuoles per cell decreased and reached a value of 20% of the control 24 h after transfer. In senescent cells grown on a mineral agar for several weeks, the gas vacuoles also disappeared. The disappearance of the gas vacuoles may be a response to a nutrient deficiency in both cultures.