Synthesis of Lipid During Photosynthesis by Phytoplankton of the Southern Ocean

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Smith, Andrew E., Morris, Ian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1980
• Subjects: Southern Ocean
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.207.4427.197; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.207.4427.197

Assimilation of carbon-14 labeled bicarbonate into photosynthetic products was measured at four stations in the Southern Ocean. Phytoplankton populations incorporated as much as 80 percent of the fixed carbon into lipid under conditions of low temperatures (–0.2° to –1.8°C) and low light intensities. At higher temperatures (+0.3° to +0.8°C) and higher light intensities, incorporation into lipid accounted for less than 20 percent of the fixed carbon, synthesis of polysaccharide and protein being more prominent.