Applications of Thermal Analysis on the Marine Phytoplankton,Tetraselmis Suecica

Marine microalgae represent an essential link in the planktonic food web and some of them are commonly utilised in aquaculture systems as food for larval and juvenile stages of fishes, crustacea and mollusca. However, the caloric content and the biochemical composition of these microrganisms vary in relation to ageing and to several environmental conditions; so if the parameters under which phytoplankton grow are not suitable, marine microalgae can supply small quantities of energy and essential nutrients. The aim of this work was to study the effects of temperature on the marine planktonic alga Tetraselmis suecica using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis(DTA). Marked differences have been observed between exponentially, stationary and senescence phases probably due to both the presence of different biomolecules produced during algal growth and to the differences in the thermal properties of these intracellular molecules. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.