Growth of two red algae species (Palmaria palmata and Vertebrata lanosa) in lab culture

Growth of two red algae species (Palmaria palmata and Vertebrata lanosa) in lab culture Newt Petride Master of Science Thesis Department of Biosciences Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology (AQUA) University of Oslo 2020 Growth of two red algae species (Palmaria palmata and Vertebrata lanosa) in lab culture Newt Petride katerip@student.ibv.uio.no +47 413 35 892 Supervisors Stein Fredriksen Professor stein.fredriksen@ibv.uio.no Wenche Eikrem Associate Professor wenche.eikrem@nhm.uio.no Section of Aquatic Biology and Toxicology Department of Biosciences University of Oslo 2020 © Newt Petride Year: 2020 Title: Growth of two red algae species (Palmaria palmata and Vertebrata lanosa) in lab culture Author: Newt Petride http://www.duo.uio.no/ Printed: Reprosentralen, University of Oslo Acknowledgements While writing this master’s thesis, and especially during the seemingly endless hours trying to navigate through R, there were many times where I found myself in complete despair, but every time I was able to keep going by looking back and recalling the reasons and the decisions that led me here. When I first started my studies at the Bioscience department of University of Oslo, I felt lost not knowing what I truly want to follow and work with for my master’s project. This was only until I found myself in a lecture about marine algae given by a professor whose love and passion for algae was sparkling and glowing. This professor is no one else but Stein Frederiksen, who later became my supervisor and have always been a source of inspiration during my studies. I am deeply thankful and feel lucky to have worked with him. I also want to thank Wenche Eikrem both for being my co-supervisor and for introducing me to the majestic world of microalgae. Furthermore, I want to thank Rita Amundsen, Berit Kaasa and Per-Johan Færøvig for the countless times they helped with practicality issues in the labs. I would also like to thank Even Sletteng Garvang for his help with R and the much appreciated book recommendation on the topic. Also, I would like to thank the organizers of “SIG Seaweed 6 Conference” for hosting a poster presentation, of part of the present thesis, even though there was no poster section in their plans. Moreover, I want to thank Raziel Soel for supporting me, loving me and tolerating me and my stress throughout this process. Thank you for always being there. Last but not least, I want to thank my fellow student at AQUA for the companionship and the endless hours of studying together before every exam. It’s been a blast! Abstract Macroalgae and their products have many applications including their use in cosmetics, agriculture, health and bio-energy industries. The most common and oldest application of macroalgae is their use as a source of food and nutrition, aging back to the fourth century AD. Palmaria palmata is a red alga with flattened fronds and length up to 50 cm and a diplohaplontic life cycle. It is found in the cold waters of North Atlantic and North Pacific in the littoral and sublittoral zones, usually as an epiphyte on Laminaria species. Palmaria palmata is used in human diet because of its high protein content and it is harvested from natural populations since the 12th century, but in the past decades it is also cultivated in open sea to a potentially commercial scale. Vertebrata lanosa is a small filamentous red alga that is commonly associated with the fucoid brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum, on which is an obligate epiphyte. Its distribution, northern parts of North Atlantic, is limited to sites that its host is present. Though, Vertebrata lanosa is able to photosynthesize independently, but to a lower degree. The species received culinary interest in the recent years due to its truffle-like taste and it is referred to as “the truffle of the sea” by Nordic chefs. Vertebrata lanosa is currently only harvested by natural populations. This study has focused on the growth of the two species in lab cultures and investigated the temperature and salinity leading to higher specific growth rate. For Palmaria palmata, nutrient conditions (3 levels) were also investigated in terms of growth rate and protein content. Palmaria palmata had higher growth rate in 12 oC, 30 ‰ and the medium with highest nutrient compassion tested. The protein content of the species was higher in intermediate nutrient conditions, though the differences were not significant. Vertebrata lanosa showed higher growth rate in 10 oC and 30 ‰. Overall, the study determined the best temperature and salinity conditions for indoor controlled cultivation of the two species and proved that Vertebrata lanosa can be cultivated in absence of its host. Though, to move from experimental culture to a larger scale production, further research is needed both on the cultivation of the species and the biochemical interactions with its host