Characterization of the growth and lipid content of the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri

摘要: Chaetoceros muelleri (Schutt) was cultured on a thermal gradient plate, subjected to two media types with range of specific conductances, and evaluated for growth neutral lipid accumulation. Growth measured directly by daily changes in cell numbers indirectly optical density at 750 nm. C. exhibited rate least doublings day-1 over broad temperature (20 35 °C) conductance ranges (10 60 mS cm-1) the optimum approached 4.0 30 °C 25 cm-1. Intracellular storage fluorometry epifluorescent microscopy using fluorochrome Nile Red. Gravimetric analysis revealed total content nitrogen-depleted cultures 400 mg L-1, five seven times that observed nitrogen-replete cultures. Based its high rate, tolerance temperatures large quantity intracellular lipid, may have potential exploitation as renewable precursor liquid fuels or source.