Date of Award
2006
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Biology
Supervisor
Dr, C.G. Trick
Abstract
The supply and speciation of different forms of nitrogen and iron are important nutritional parameters influencing the growth, production, and composition of protist communities. While most cells access macronutrients in the inorganic form, some cells are successful in competing for the dissolved organic forms of these elements by producing extracellular enzymes, enabling them to access nutrients. The EnzCheck protease assay was used to assay if marine phytoplankton produced extracellular proteases in response to two environmental conditions: the supply of nitrogen and the supply of iron in the inorganic or organically complexed form. A broad survey of phytoplankton illustrated the diversity in the ability of marine phytoplankton to produce these proteases, generally defined as metallo-, serine, acid, and sulfhydryl proteases. While altering the source of nitrogen did not significantly stimulate the levels of these extracellular proteases, many of the isolates grown under low iron conditions produced significantly more proteases that when iron was replete.
Recommended Citation
Klein, Monica, "Exoenzyme Production by Marine Phytoplankton" (2006). Digitized Theses. 5064.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/5064
