| Abstract: | Turbulent mixing, in particular on a small scale, aff ects the growth of microalgae by changing diff usive sublayers and regulating nutrient fluxes of cells. We tested the nutrient flux hypothesis by evaluating the cellular stoichiometry and phosphorus storage of microalgae under dif ferent turbulent mixing conditions. A phanizomenon flos-aquae were cultivated in dif ferent stirring batch reactors with turbulent dissipation rates ranging from 0.001 51 m2/s 3 to 0.050 58 m 2/s 3, the latter being the highest range observed in natural aquatic systems. Samples were taken in the exponential growth phase and compared with samples taken when the reactor was completely stagnant. Results indicate that, within a certain range, turbulent mixing stimulates the growth of A. flos-aquae. An inhibitory ef fect on growth rate was observed at the higher range. Photosynthesis activity, in terms of maximum ef fective quantum yield of PSII(the ratio of F v/F m) and cellular chlorophyll a, did not change significantly in response to turbulence. However, Chl a/C mass ratio and C/N molar ratio, showed a unimodal response under a gradient of turbulent mixing, similar to growth rate. Moreover, we found that increases in turbulent mixing might stimulate respiration rates, which might lead to the use of polyphosphate for the synthesis of cellular constituents. More research is required to test and verify the hypothesis that turbulent mixing changes the dif fusive sublayer, regulating the nutrient flux of cells. |
