Patterns of carbon assimilation in a microalgal community from annual sea ice, east Antarctica

Abstract

Patterns of carbon assimilation into photosynthetic end products were measured in annual sea ice near the Antarctic stations of Davis and Mawson, during December 1982, following the peak of the spring ice algal bloom. Rates of14C assimilation in the ice communities, measured with an in situ sampler-incubation chamber ranged from 1.58-32.92 mg Cm-2h-1 {Mathematical expression} during this period. The partitioning of14C bicarbonate into four subcellular fractions (chloroform-soluble, methanol/water (MeOH/H2O)-soluble, trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble, and TCA-residue) and the efficacy of extraction was determined. During in situ incubations (3-4 h), it was found that a major proportion of th..