The influence of cell size on the growth rate of Thalassiosira weissflogii

Abstract

Growth rate and average cell volume were measured throughout auxospore formation in two populations of Thalassiosira weissflogii (Hustedt). In both cases, the entire population shifted from relatively small (800 μm³) to large cells (2800 μm³) over a 5 day interval. This shift was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the average growth rate of the populations from 1.6 to 3.4 doublings/day.