EXTREMELY HIGH GROWTH RATE OF THE SMALL DIATOM CHAETOCEROS SALSUGINEUM ISOLATED FROM AN ESTUARY IN THE EASTERN SETO INLAND SEA, JAPAN

Small single-celled Chaetoceros sp. are often widely distributed, but frequently overlooked. An estuarine diatom with an extremely high growth potential under optimal conditions was isolated from the Shinkawa-Kasugagawa estuary in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, western Japan. It was identified as Chaetoceros salsugineum based on morphological observations. This strain had a specific growth rate of 0.54 h-1 at 30 degrees C under 700 mu mol center dot m-2 center dot s-1 (about 30% of natural maximal summer light) with a 14:10 L:D cycle; there was little growth in the dark. However, under continuous light it grew at only 0.35 h-1 or a daily specific growth rate of 8.4 d-1. In addition, cell density, chlorophyll a, and particulate organic carbon concentrations increased by about 1000 times in 24 h at 30 degrees C under 700 mu mol center dot m-2 center dot s-1 with a 14:10 L:D cycle, showing a growth rate of close to 7 d-1. This very rapid growth rate may be the result of adaptation to this estuarine environment with high light and temperature. Thus, C. salsugineum can be an important primary producer in this estuary in summer and also an important organism for further physiological and genetic research.