CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CULTURE FILTRATES OF WESTIELLOPSIS-PROLIFICA AND CHAETOPHORA-ATTENUATA

Westiellopsis prolifica Janet and Chaetophora attenunta Hazen cultures released sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), organic acids (oxal oacetic acid and oxalic acid), amino acids, and protein. W. prolifica cultures released the amino acids glycine, serine, cystine, glutamic a cid, aspartic acid, and cc-alanine, while C. attenuata cultures releas ed glycine, serine, aspartic acid, and cr-alanine. W. prolifica and C. attenuata cultures of all ages released more extracellular protein th an total free amino acids. Cultures of C. attenuata released more prot ein than cultures of the same age of W. prolifica. The filtrates from old cultures of W. prolifica and C. attenunta decreased the total chlo rophyll content of all algae tested, totally suppressed conjugation in Spirogyra decimina and zoospore formation in C. attenuata, and drasti cally decreased spore germination in W. prolifica, thus producing stre ssful conditions affecting the growth and reproduction of these and ot her algae.