Nitrate and Phosphate Affect Cultivability of Cyanobacteria from Environments with Low Nutrient Levels

Abstract

Nitrate and phosphate concentrations higher than those found in the natural environment slowed down growth of two strains of non-bloom-forming, phycoerythrin-rich Synechococcus spp. isolated from mesotrophic subalpine lakes. The results make clear why isolation of these picocyanobacteria in standard cultivation media was difficult. At low concentrations, closely related strains exhibited distinct growth characteristics with respect to these two nutrients, possibly explaining differences in their seasonal appearance in the natural environment.