Linking lipid accumulation and photosynthetic efficiency in Nannochloropsis sp. under nutrient limitation and replenishment

Autor: Wenzhou Xiang, Jin Xu, Helong Zheng, Ying Zhang, Wei-Nan Wang, Aifen Li, Tao Li, Chaojie Yuan
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Applied Phycology. 32:1619-1630
ISSN: 1573-5176
0921-8971
DOI: 10.1007/s10811-020-02056-w
Popis: Oleaginous microalgae can accumulate large amounts of storage lipids that have many potential applications such as in the production of biodiesel and health products. All of the energy for the synthesis of lipids in microalgae is derived from photosynthesis. To date, however, the quantitative relationship between photosynthesis and lipid accumulation rate in microalgae is still unclear. In this study, Nannochloropsis sp. was selected to explore this relationship by investigating changes in lipid accumulation, photosynthetic efficiency, and the electron transport chain under nutrients limitation and replenishment. The results of the study demonstrated that lipids were the main form of storage of carbon and energy for this microalga. The alternative electron transport chain played an important role in photo-protection and lipid accumulation. The photosynthetic efficiency of this microalga showed a strong correlation with lipid accumulation rate (R2 = 0.959), with higher photosynthetic efficiency translating to higher lipid accumulation rates during the lipid accumulation stage of the growth cycle. The results of the present study indicated that nutrient depletion might not be the best signal to understand when microalgae begin to accumulate oil, as it appears that photosynthetic efficiency also has a large role in the rate of oil accumulation. Additionally, the study shows that excessive light might not be needed in later stages of growth for lipid accumulation, which in turn would alleviate the damage to microalgae caused by strong light making large-scale cultivation more cost-effective.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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