Interrelations of photosynthesis and assimilation of elementary nitrogen in a blue-green alga

Abstract

In blue-green algae the hydrogen donors and carbon skeletons required in the fixation of elementary nitrogen may be supplied by the photosynthetic mechanism. Study of the kinetic relationships between the photosynthetic assimilation of carbon and the assimilation of nitrogen into the cell material of Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. has demonstrated correlations between the rates of the two processes consonant with the existence of such biochemical connexions. The effects of light intensity, carbon-dioxide concentration and nitrogen concentration were each studied at four different temperatures by determination of changes in amounts of cell carbon and cell nitrogen in cultures grown for 48 h. Temperature was found to have the most marked differential effect, both low and high temperatures depressing nitrogen assimilation to a greater extent than carbon assimilation. At any given temperature there was a close correlation between the rates of the two processes over a wide range of variation in other factors. Both carbon and nitrogen assimilation were found to be inhibited by relatively low concentrations of carbon dioxide. The rate of carbon assimilation per unit amount of cell nitrogen was found to be related in the usual way to light intensity, but to be reduced at low nitrogen concentrations. The relative rate of nitrogen assimilation was likewise found to be related in the expected way to nitrogen concentration but to increase with light intensity and to be reduced at carbon-dioxide concentrations limiting for carbon assimilation.