Post Graduate Department of Botany and Biotechnology, Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa 751004, India
*Corresponding author; E-mail: adhikary2k@hotmail.com Tel: 91(674)2354054 (R); Fax: 91(674)2587389 (O)
Occurrence of two different phycoerythrin rich picocyanobacteria in Chilika lake is reported for the first time. The isolate UU-1 was rod shaped with a thin slime layer adhering to its cell wall where as UU-2 was coccoid with a distinct slime layer, the volume and shape of which changed in response to the nutrient status of the culture medium. Both the isolates preferred low light intensity up to 3 W.m2. UU-2 liberated appreciable quantity of carbohydrates which increased under reduced levels of nitrate in the culture. The sugar composition of the extracellular carbohydrates and cell associated slimes was different Even though these picocyanobacteria differed only slightly in cell shape, in vivo absorption spectra and fluorescence emission characteristics showed that they were physiologically quite different in the nature of slime and exudates.
Picocyanobacteria, pycoerythrin, fluorescence emission, slime, extracellular carbohydrate, nutrient levels, food web
