The Effect of Magnesium Concentration on Growth of Chlorella

Abstract

A study of chlorophyll synthesis in Chlorella vulgaris (3) revealed striking differences in the growth patterns of this alga when cultured in nutrient solutions containing different amounts of magnesium. The differences in growth patterns were so variable and of such magnitude as to make difficult the finding of a suitable basis of comparison for physiological studies. Since Chlorella species are often the subject of such studies, a more exact knowledge of their growth habits seems desirable. The detailed studies of Chlorella made by Pearsall and Loose (7) and Myers (?) and numerous papers contributed by other workers have done much to advance the understanding of algal growth under various modifications of the culture conditions. This paper limits itself to comparisons of Chlorella growth at different magnesium concentrations. Data on certain aspects of this problem have been previously reported by Saizeva (9) and by van Hille (5).