Growth Kinetics of Microcystis aeruginosa ( KÜTZ ) KÜTZ as a Basis for Modelling its Population Dynamics

The dependence of the specific growth rate of Microcystis aeruginosa ( KÜTZ) ; KÜTZ f. aeruginosa upon temperature and light intensity was determined under continuous illumination in batch cultures. The result can be well described by the function: magnified image where μ max = 3.44.d −1 , T opt = 33.2°C, T min = 18.3°C and K I = 71.4 W m −2 . The validity of this function is limited to the range of 10–28 °C and light intensities from 5–25 W m −2 . The dependence of the specific growth rate on the nutrient concentration was investigated a t 25°C and 24 W m −2 light intensity by means of chemostat cultures. The half saturation constants related to the maximum specific growth rate of 1.1 d −1 measured under these conditions were 0.44 μmol.I −1 , 4.3 μmol.I −1 and 26.5 μmol. −1 for orthophosphate, nitrate, and ammonium, respectively.