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Estim ation of intracellular carbon and silica content of diatoms from natural assemblages using morphometric techniques 1
Author(s) -
SickoGoad Linda M.,
Schelske Claire L.,
Stoermer Eugene F.
Publication year - 1984
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.1984.29.6.1170
Subject(s) - vacuole , carbon fibers , dry weight , cytoplasm , diatom , biomass (ecology) , frustule , volume (thermodynamics) , range (aeronautics) , algae , plankton , biogenic silica , biology , botany , chemistry , ecology , biochemistry , materials science , physics , quantum mechanics , composite number , composite material
Electron microscopic morphometric techniques were used to measure accurately the cytoplasm and frustule volumes of 12 naturally occurring planktonic diatoms in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In addition, cytoplasm volumes were measured in 6 other algal species. Estimates of carbon content were then made by converting measured cytoplasm volumes to carbon biomass. From these measurements and conversions, the average percent carbon by dry weight was found to be 19% (range 10–30%) for diatoms and 35% (range 29–43%) for the nondiatom species. These values are lower than those previously reported. This is probably due to two facts: our estimates do not include extracellular carbon that may be associated with the cells, and vacuole relative volume (% of total cell volume) ranged from 22 to 70% in diatoms and 2 to 29% for nondiatoms. The carbon content of cells with lower vacuole volumes more closely approximate those previously reported. Our estimations of percent silica by dry weight of diatoms averaged 60% (range 40–78%). Our values for silica content are closer to those reported for naturally occurring populations than to those for cultured populations.