NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF HAEMATOCOCCUS PLUVIALIS AND RELATED SPECIES(1)

Abstract

All the described species and varieties of the genus Haematococcus were available. After isolation in pure culture they were used studying their nutritional requirements. H. buetschlii and H. droebakensis had already been shown by Droop to need vitamin B12 . H. capensis typ., H. capensis var. borealis, and H. zimbabwiensis were found to do so also. The 7 strains of H. pluvialis from various localities investigated showed slight physiological deviations, although morphologically they were so similar that they should not be described as varieties. A dilute inorganic nutrient solution with trace elements and iron kept in solution by EDTA was suitable cither as such or supplemented with growth-promoting compounds. The growth was speeded by low concentrations of acetate and by enhancing photosynthesis. No strain of H. pluvialis absolutely required cobalamin, although it stimulated. Thiamine had a much more pronounced effect; for some strains it was indispensable. Although the response varies slightly from strain to strain, a luxuriant growth for all was obtained only with acetate and B1 , and usually enhanced by B12 . A peculiar feature of H. pluvialis is the catching up of cultures initially retarded by thiamine deficiency (probably due to slow B1 synthesis). When H. pluvialis multiplied fast its appearance differed from that considered typical: no red pigment and the cell wall not inflated. In nature it evidently lives under conditions unfavorable for good growth although suitable for survival in competition with other organisms.