Relationship between particulate and extracellular carbon compounds of phytoplankton photosynthesis in a tropical estuary

Abstract

The influence of seasonal environmental conditions on the formation and release of organic compounds by photosynthesizing phytoplankton was studied in a tropical estuary. The pattern of 14C fixation into the various intracellular compounds changed from pre-monsoon to monsoon depending on the quality and intensity of light available during the 2 seasons as well as phytoplankton composition. During the pre monsoon, carbon was largely incorporated into the intracellular carbohydrate fraction and during the monsoon, into the protein fraction. Quantitative analysis of some selected low molecular weight compounds present in the intracellular photosynthate pool and extracellular exudate pool suggested that the release of organic compounds is governed mainly by the rate of their production