A Comparative Biochemical Study of Two Species of <i>Ochromonas</i>*

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. The heterotrophic, phototrophic, and phagotrophic nutrition of the chrysomonad flagellates Ochromonas malhamensis and O. danica were compared. Unlike O. malhamensis, O. danica , which is much richer in chloroplast pigments, grew readily photoautotrophically in a substrate‐free medium in 5% CO 2 . Utilization of bound biotin in bacterial (Thiobacillus) bodies served to demonstrate phagotrophy in both flagellates. This nutritional versatility suggests that this group of flagellates will be exceptionally valuable for studying the evolutionary steps connecting photoautotrophy, heterotrophy, and phagotrophy.