Applications of thermal analysis on the marine phytoplankton, Tetraselmis suecica

Marine microalgae represent an essential link in the planktonic food web an d some of them are commonly utilised in aquaculture systems as food for lar val and juvenile stages of fishes, crustacea and mollusca. However, the cal oric content and the biochemical composition of these microrganisms vary in relation to ageing and to several environmental conditions; so if the para meters under which phytoplankton grow are not suitable, marine microalgae c an 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 differe ntial thermal analysis (DTA). Marked differences have been observed between exponentially, stationary and senescence phases probably due to both the p resence of different biomolecules produced during algal growth and to the d ifferences in the thermal properties of these intracellular molecules.