Variability in sinking rate of the freshwater diatomAsterionella formosaHass.: The influence of the excess density of colonies

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Abstract
Changes in the densities of live and killed colonies of A. formosa Hass. from both exponentially increasing and stationary phase cultures, were investigated in relation to variation in cell size and mean sinking rates. The small variations in apparent excess colony density (range: 152-254 kg m-3) between exponential and senescent cells could not alone account for the 2- to 6-fold observed differences in sinking rate. Neither the sinking rate nor the density were greatly affected by the diminution of cell size brought about by frequent subculturing.