Growth and biochemical composition of the diatom Chaetoceros cf. wighamii brightwell under different temperature, salinity and carbon dioxide levels. I. Protein, carbohydrates and lipids

The marine diatom Chaetoceros cf. wighamii has been investigated for its potential use as food in mariculture. In this work, we investigated temperature (20, 25, and 30 °C), salinity (25 and 35) and carbon dioxide addition (air and air + CO2) effects on growth and biochemical composition of C. cf. wighamii, under laboratory conditions. C. cf. wighamii growth and biomass was primarily affected by carbon dioxide addition and to a lesser extent by temperature and salinity. In general, lipid and carbohydrate content were higher at lower temperatures (20 and 25 °C) while protein was unaffected. Carbon dioxide addition increased protein and lowered carbohydrates, but had no effect on lipid content. Carbohydrates were enhanced while lipids and protein decreased at the highest salinity (35). These results should be taken into consideration when evaluating the nutritional value of this microalga for marine invertebrate larvae.