Ion metabolism in a halophilic blue-green alga,Aphanothece halophytica

✍ Scribed by Donald M. Miller; Jay H. Jones; John H. Yopp; Donald R. Tindall; Walter E. Schmid

• Book ID: 104777719
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1976
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 421 KB
• Volume: 111
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0302-8933
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00446561

✦ Synopsis

The intracellular ion content of the halophilic blue-green alga, Aphanthece halophytica was studied as a function of age, external sodium and external potassium concentration. Intracellular Na+ was found to be about 0.38 millimoles/g dry mass. Intracellular K+ concentrations were as high as 1 M and varied directly with external salinity. Intracellular Ca++ and Mg++ were in the range previously reported for fresh water blue-green algae despite their extremely high extracellular concentrations. Average cell size is consistent at room temperature with two exceptions. When the outside K+ is lower than 6.5 mM the cells tend to be smaller with less intracellular K+ and high Ca++. In stationary phase cultrues the cells are larger with high intracellular Mg++ and low K+.