%0 Journal Article 
%A Love, Robyn
%T Optimisation of the culture of the red alga Chondracanthus teedei. Effects of irradiance, temperature, salinity and nutrient enrichment.
%D 2018
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/20381
%X Although seaweeds have been traditionally used for food and medicine, their uses have immensely developed and diversified in recent years. One of the most important usage of macroalgae is in the food industry, as a source of phycocolloids or direct human consumption. For this reason, the red alga Chondracanthus teedei was chosen for this end of degree project. The object of this study was to optimise the culture conditions of this species and assess the combined effects of irradiance (high light or low light), temperature (20 °C or 25 °C), salinity (25, 35 or 45) and nutrient enrichment (NH4+ or NO3-) on its growth and tissue composition. The experiment was carried out in the laboratory under controlled conditions in order to reproduce all the possible combinations of the environmental factors. The results showed that irradiance and nutrient enrichment were the main factors affecting the growth of the species, and salinity had the least effect, supporting the euryhaline nature of C. teedei. Higher growth rates were reached with nitrate enrichment, high light intensity, 25 °C, and salinities between 25 and 35, reaching a maximum daily growth rate of around 9 %. The maximum values for thallus nitrogen concentrations and photosynthetic pigments were reached under the same conditions: high temperatures and low irradiances. The information gathered in this experiment could serve as a base to optimise culture conditions according to the purpose of the production.

%K Chondracanthus
%K rodophyte
%K environmental variables
%K facotrial design
%K irradiance
%K temperature
%K salinity
%K nutrient enrichment
%~ Universidad de Cádiz