Effect of NH4-non the pigment content ofLaminaria japonica

Experiments withLaminaria japonica were conducted in Meidao Bay and Pier Bay, Qingdao, China, Nitrogen-starved plants were fertilized intermittently with 7.1 mM NH₄−N solution for 1 hour at 3 day intervals, after which chlorophyll a, fucoxanthin, chlorophyll c and β-carotene contents were analyzed. Photosynthetic and growth rates of plants and nitrogen content of seawater were determined. their contents of chlorophyll a, fucoxanthin, chlorophyll c and β-carotene were 1.65, 0.67, 0.33 and 0.06 mg.dm⁻² respectively, or 2.46, 2.03, 1.86 and 1.81 times those of the controls. The ratio of fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a in nitrogen-enriched plants was lower than that of the controls. Normal growth rate of the plants (2 cm·day⁻¹ in length) were reached when the chlorophyll a content exceeded 0.1 mg·g⁻¹ fresh wt., indicating that chlorophyll a content can serve as an indicator of normal growth. Experimental results show that seawater is regarded as fertile for the normal growth ofLaminaria if the total inorganic nitrogen (including ammonium salt, nitrate and nitrite) content in seawater is about 2 μm, and infertile if less than 1 μm, in which case fertilizer should be applied. Contribution No. 1703 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica