Effects of temperature on the growth, total lipid content and fatty acid composition of Skeletonema dohrnii

• Published in: Frontiers in Marine Science 2024-05, Vol.11
• Main Authors: Shang, Xiaomei, Yang, Yaning, Zan, Yongling, Sun, Zhenwei, Lu, Zhengyi, Sun, Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Aquaculture feeds; aquafeed; Baits; Biomass; Carnitine; Diatoms; Factory farming; Fatty acid composition; Fatty acids; Growth rate; Intensive farming; Lipids; Marine microorganisms; Ocean warming; Physiology; Plankton; Plankton blooms; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Production costs; Red tide; Red tides; Skeletonema dohrnii; Temperature; Temperature effects; unsaturated fatty acids
• ISSN: 2296-7745; 2296-7745
• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1361157

The potential of diatoms as aquatic bait, attribute to their abundance in highly unsaturated fatty acids, has been extensively studied. Temperature plays a crucial role in the synthesis of these fatty acids. This study specifically investigated the impact of temperature on the growth, total lipid content, and fatty acid composition of Skeletonema dohrnii , a planktonic diatom commonly associated with red tides and water blooms in China. The aim is to evaluate its suitability as an aquatic bait and provide insights for large-scale factory farming. Results indicated that the highest biomass and maximum growth rate occurred at 28°C, with no significant deviation from the control group at 25°C. At 28°C and 15°C, there was a significant increase in the total lipid content and the total fatty acid content, with a more pronounced effect at 15°C. At 28°C, EPA and DHA content measured at 0.97 ± 0.01 mg.DW.L -1 and 0.264 ± 0.01 mg.DW.L -1 respectively, surpass those at 15°C due to lower biomass. Conversely, at 15°C, substantial synthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, with EPA constituting up to 32.24 ± 0.24% of the total fatty acids, is observed. Modulating the temperature could optimize the utilization of S. dohrnii as an aquatic feed source. These findings underscore the potential of S. dohrnii as a high-quality aquafeed and lay the groundwork for its success in ocean warming scenarios.