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Kinetics of carbon dioxide uptake by phytoplankton at high pH 1
Author(s) -
Gavis Jerome,
Ferguson John F.
Publication year - 1975
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.1975.20.2.0211
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , carbon dioxide , diffusion , saturation (graph theory) , chemistry , kinetics , facilitated diffusion , absorption (acoustics) , reaction rate constant , environmental chemistry , biophysics , thermodynamics , biochemistry , materials science , biology , membrane , mathematics , physics , organic chemistry , combinatorics , quantum mechanics , nutrient , composite material
When phytoplankton assimilate CO 2 at the low concentrations existing at high pH their uptake rates may be limited by diffusion transport. Dehydroxylation of HCO 3 − to CO 2 will, however, reduce the effect of transport limitation. In this paper the equation for diffusion with chemical reaction that produces the diffusing substance is solved for a spherical cell with a surface absorption rate given by an equation of the Monod form to yield uptake rate as a function of CO 2 concentration when transport limited. The influence of cell motility is included. A criterion is derived by which the importance of transport limitation can be ascertained for a cell whose half‐saturation constant and maximum uptake rate are known.