The capability of the algaeChlorella vulgaris andScenedesmus obliquus of utilizing amino acids as the sole nitrogen source

The capability of utilizing 20 amino acids and 2 amides as the sole nitrogen source for growth was studied in two green algae (Chlorophyceae). A comparison was made of the growth rate of algae in a mineral nutrient solution containing nitrate as the nitrogen source, with that in the same solution in which nitrogen in the form of nitrate was substituted by an equivalent nitrogen amount in the form of various amino acids. In addition to this, another series of experiments was carried out in whioh both culture media were supplied with glucose. The results show that both algae utilize a series of amino acids in dependence of their structure (mostly 3-carbon amino acids). The growth rate ofChlorella in the presence of these sources is the same as in nitrate, that ofScenedesmus even much higher. In the cultures containing glucose both algal species exhibit a higher growth rate in the media with the nitrate nitrogen source than in those with amino acids (with the exception of glycine inScenedesmus).