Ref ID : 4384
Ravenna Ukeles, Gary H. Wikfors, and Gail E. Ferris; Factors Affecting the Salinity Tolerance of the Freshwater Cryptomonad Chilomonas paramecium. J.Protozool. 39(3):399-405, 1992
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The capacity of the freshwater cryptomonad Chilomonas paramecium to develop a tolerance for seawater in the growth medium was investigated as part of a research program exploring potential microbial food sources for estuarine bivalve mollusks. By gradually increasing the percentage of estuarine seawater included in a freshwater culture medium over the course of 10 years, strains were obtained that tolerate from 16 to 32 seawater (highest salinity 10.5 ppt), achieving equivalent final densities with similar gross biochemical composition. However, after subculture in seawater-containing media for over 20 years, growth rates in more-saline media remained appreciably slower than in low-salinity media. Reduction of C. paramecium growth rate by seawater was found to be exacerbated in media with an initial pH of 3.5 as compared with pH 4.0-5.0, suggesting either a specific H+ effect upon metabolism of the medium carbon source (lactic acid) or a general cation effect upon nutrient uptake or cell metabolism. By contrast, depression of growth rates at high salinity was ameliorated by eliminating sodium-phosphate enrichments in growth media. This suggests that cations in the phosphate salt were contributing to cation-mediated growth inhibition. Results indicate a potential for C. paramecium, cultured in moderately saline media with no phosphate enrichments, to be used as a carbohydrate supplement for laboratory and hatchery feeding of estuarine bivalve mollusks.