Evaluating Nitrogen Utilization Strategies in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
| dc.contributor.author | Tibule, Miku | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Doering, Jennifer (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Markham, John (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Lee, Jae-Hyeok | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-23T19:40:48Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-23T19:40:48Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-04 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2025-05-23T19:40:48Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Biological Sciences | |
| dc.degree.level | Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Nitrogen (N) is a common, yet essential macronutrient required for nucleic acid and amino acid synthesis for cell growth and biomass of photosynthetic eukaryotes which includes algae and plants. Understanding how organisms strategically use N for growth will allow development of economical use of N fertilizer being invested into croplands, which in return mitigates anthropogenic contribution to environmental pollution. This honours thesis explores N-use strategies by examining the N-sensing mechanisms within Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to investigate its necessity for optimal growth under N-limited and N-repleted conditions through comparative growth within individual N source provision of NH4Cl, KNO3, and urea. Using photobioreactor and nitrogen quantification experiments, I obtained biomass productivity data and residual N within the cultures, which allowed for an understanding of algal growth under various N-source concentration conditions. Through a comprehensive data analysis of growth biomass OD and residual N concentrations, my study uncovered that there is a regulatory mechanism of C. reinhardtii that allows for a reduction in N consumption rate under extreme N limitation stress, which in turn allows the algae to shift its metabolic priorities to internal N-use. These insights contribute to the existing literature by highlighting the significance of the N-sensing mechanism within C. reinhardtii, for N-use strategies, discovering a temporal switch in metabolic function, and offering potential further investigations into how the algae prioritize cellular N contents for growth and cellular division. Ultimately, this study provides a deeper understanding of N assimilation and cellular use, paving the way for future research and developments in the field. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/39090 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | nitrogen utilization | |
| dc.subject | Chlamydomonas reinhardtii | |
| dc.subject | nitrogen fertilizer | |
| dc.subject | algae | |
| dc.title | Evaluating Nitrogen Utilization Strategies in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii | |
| local.author.affiliation | Faculty of Science::Department of Biological Sciences |