U.S.-China Cooperative Research: Nitrogen Metabolism in Laminaria Japonica

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This proposal is for support of a seasonal study of the nitrogen metabolism of the brown alga Laminaria japonica. The studies will focus on the relationships between nitrogen deficiency, nitrate utilization and kelp growth with the goal of establishing a productive fertilization approach for natural populations of the alga while assessing questions relating to the timing of nitrogen-limited growth. The work will be conducted by Dr. Boudewijn Brinkuis, SUNY at Stony Brook, and Dr. Wu Chaoyun, Chinese Academy of Science's Institute of Oceanology, Qingdao, China, under the terms of the US-PRC Protocol for Cooperation in Basic Sciences. The proposed research will draw on a vast store of empirical knowledge which China has accumulated in response to the commercial demand for kelp (laminaria). This seaweed is one of the major seaweeds used for food and chemical extracts and has been mass produced in China since the early 1950's. While other studies have been conducted on kelp species, no studies to date have looked at the commercial kelp, Laminaria japonica. This study, while of potential practical benefit, will also attempt to answer questions unresolved in earlier research on nitrogen metabolism in kelp. Field studies will be conducted in China and laboratory analyses will take place both in the CAS laboratories in Qingdao and at SUNY Stony Brook.