Marine Plankton Algae Grown with Light‐Dark Cycles.

The diatoms Ditylum brightwellii and Nitzschia turgidula were grown in semi‐continuous culture under various combinations of light intensity, temperature and daylength (photoperiod). Growth was strongly limited by light intensities below 0.03 cal/em2. min in both species. Above this intensity, light saturation of growth was rapidly approached in Nitzschia but only gradually so in Ditylum. The growth rate in continuous light was never significantly higher than with 16 hours of light plus 8 hours of dark. In Ditylum, continuous light above 0.03 cal/cm2. min caused a strong inhibition of growth at all temperatures. The chlorophyll concentration in the cells was greater the shorter the photopceriod. In cultures synchronised by different combinations of light intensity and photoperiod, cell division generally took place in the light. Synchrony was best under short photoperiods of bright light. Time courses are shown for chlorophyll synthesis and photosynthesis in synchronised cultures.