Effects of pH on the growth and NH4-N uptake of Skeletonema costatum and Nitzschia closterium

Ocean acidification (OA) and eutrophication intensifies in coastal sea under anthropogenic impact. OA coupled with the NH4-N source effect in coastal water is likely to affect the planktonic ecosystem. In this work, Skeletonema costatum and Nitzschia closterium were chosen as typical species of diatom in Chinese coastal ecosystems to test the potential effect of OA and NH4-N. Results showed that the growth and NH4-N uptake of S. costatum and N. closterium were significantly inhibited by pH decline. The maximum uptake rate is higher than the maximum growth rate, implying that NH4-N was assimilated faster for S. costatum and N. closterium with decreasing pH. Therefore, the inhibition rate of the growth of the two diatoms by the coupling effect of OA and eutrophication (pH 7.45) is higher that than in the coastal sea by the end of the 21st century (pH 7.71).