Nitrate and phosphate uptake kinetics ofChattonella antiqua grown in light/dark cycles

Nitrate and phosphate uptake kinetics ofChattonella antiqua were examined under light and dark conditions. The uptake kinetics ofC. antiqua followed the Michaelis-Menten equation. The maximal uptake rates (V _max) of nitrate and phosphate in the dark were 86 and 93% of those in the light, respectively. The half-saturation constants (K ₈ ) were not significantly affected by illumination and were comparable to those of other phytoplankton. However, specific maximal uptake rates ofC. antiqua for these substrates were much smaller than those of other phytoplankton.