Effects of prey of different nutrient quality on elemental nutrient budgets in Noctiluca scintillans.

ABSTRACT: Noctiluca scintillans (Noctiluca) is a cosmopolitan red tide forming heterotrophic dinoflagellate. In this study, we investigated its ingestion, elemental growth yield and excretion when supplied with different quality food (nutrient-balanced, N-limited and P-limited). Total cellular elemental ratios of Noctiluca were nearly homeostatic, but the ratio of its intracellular NH₄⁺ and PO₄^3- was weakly regulated. Noctiluca thus seems able to differentially allocate N and P to organic and inorganic pools to maintain overall homeostasis, and it regulated its internal N more strongly and efficiently than P. The latter was substantiated by its comparatively stable C:N ratio and compensatory feeding on N-limited prey. Using both starvation experiments and

SUBMITTER: Zhang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5548927 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature