Journal of Environmental Biology

Studies on inorganic carbon uptake and photosynthesis in

blue green alga Nostoc calcicola

Pranita Jaiswal¹* and A.K. Kashyap²

1Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Ludhiana-141 004, India

2Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, India

*Corresponding Author email : pranitajaiswal@gmail.com

Publication Data

Paper received:

02 February 2012

Revised received:

16 October 2012

Accepted:

24 December 2012

Abstract

Inorganic carbon uptake and utilization efficiency of a diazotrophic cyanobacterium, Nostoc calcicola, an 'usar' land isolate and its bicarbonate resistant mutant was investigated. The wild type strain showed significantly higher rate uptake of inorganic carbon as compared to mutant strain. The rate of photosynthesis and carbohydrate content of wild type strain was higher than mutant strain at ambient atmosphere, while at higher concentrations of inorganic carbon (100-250 mM NaHCO₃) mutant strain showed better response. However the photosynthetic rate and carbohydrate content of the mutant strain was higher than wild type at their respective optimal NaHCO₃?concentrations (75 and 250mM, respectively). This is indicative of the mutant strain required higher level of bicarbonate in the medium for optimal activity/growth. It may be concluded that the mutant strain is defective in carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), and may provide a useful tool in understanding of CCM in these organisms, which in turn has a huge potential to act as global CO₂?sink.

Key words

Bicarbonate, Cyanobacteria, Carbon concentrating mechanism, Nostoc calcicola, Photosynthesis

Copyright ? 2013 Triveni Enterprises. All rights reserved. No part of the Journal can be reproduced in any form without prior permission. Responsibility regarding the authenticity of the data, and the acceptability of the conclusions enforced or derived, rest completely with the author(s).