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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIC NITROGEN AND THE CAROTENOID TO CHLOROPHYLL a RATIO IN FIVE FRESHWATER PHYTOPLANKTON SPECIES 1
Author(s) -
Manny Bruce A.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1969.14.1.0069
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , nitrogen , chlorophyll a , chlorophyll , diatom , botany , environmental chemistry , limiting , carotenoid , pigment , population , biology , nutrient , oceanography , chemistry , ecology , geology , mechanical engineering , demography , organic chemistry , sociology , engineering
A linear relationship of positive slope was found between the ratios of organic nitrogen: chlorophyll a and total carotenoids: chlorophyll a in cultures of five freshwater phytoplankters as they recovered from N‐deficiency. This differed markedly from information in the literature for a marine diatom under similar conditions. This relationship in cultures of a freshwater diatom was not significantly different from one calculated from data in the literature for a N‐deficient natural population of marine diatoms. Therefore it is suggested that, under conditions of limiting nitrogen, the natural ratio of plant pigments can he used in conjunction with the nitrogen: pigment relationship to estimate the quantity of nitrogen in natural phytoplankton as distinct from other sources of particulate nitrogen in surface waters.