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61
Tank cultivation of ulva (chlorophyceae) in florida
Author(s) -
Hanisak M. D.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-3646.2003.03906001_61.x
Subject(s) - biology , salinity , biomass (ecology) , aeration , aquaculture , seawater , productivity , nutrient , reproduction , algae , botany , dry weight , ecology , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , economics , macroeconomics
Ulva spp. has been grown in outdoor tank cultivation at Harbor Branch for the last 25 years. Initially, it was difficult to maintain individual strains throughout the year due to loss of biomass as a result of reproduction under the relatively high water temperature found during the summer. A search for potential warm‐water strains was conducted in nearby marine waters and several promising strains were isolated into laboratory cultures. Growth experiments in the laboratory and in greenhouse cultures resulted in the selection of strains that could grow year‐round, with little or no losses due to reproduction. There is significant physiological variability within a species; the relationship of growth to environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and salinity) is strain dependant. Productivity rates in intensive “tumble” cultivation (high aeration and seawater turnover) are typically 25–30 g dry weight/m2/d, but can reach 35 g dry weight/m2/d, averaged over the annual cycle. Currently, Ulva is being cultivated in this system and used either fresh or as a dried powder, as feed for animals, either to experimental animals in the lab or for inclusion in diets of marine fish. Ulva is a strong candidate in “integrated aquaculture”, which is the focus of renewed interest in recent years, due to Ulva's high rates of growth and nutrient uptake, and its excellent nutritional quality for many marine herbivores.