Failure of Micractinium simplicissimum Phosphate Resilience upon Abrupt Re-Feeding of Its Phosphorus-Starved Cultures

Microalgae are naturally adapted to the fluctuating availability of phosphorus (P) to opportunistically uptake large amounts of inorganic phosphate (P(i)) and safely store it in the cell as polyphosphate. Hence, many microalgal species are remarkably resilient to high concentrations of external P(i). Here, we report on an exception from this pattern comprised by a failure of the high P(i)-resilience in strain Micractinium simplicissimum IPPAS C-2056 normally coping with very high P(i) concentrations. This phenomenon occurred after the abrupt re-supplementation of P(i) to the M. simplicissimum culture pre-starved of P. This was the case even if P(i) was re-supplemented in a concentration far below the level toxic to the P-sufficient culture. We hypothesize that this effect can be mediated by a rapid formation of the potentially toxic short-chain polyphosphate following the mass influx of P(i) into the P-starved cell. A possible reason for this is that the preceding P starvation impairs the capacity of the cell to convert the newly absorbed P(i) into a “safe” storage form of long-chain polyphosphate. We believe that the findings of this study can help to avoid sudden culture crashes, and they are also of potential significance for the development of algae-based technologies for the efficient bioremoval of P from P-rich waste streams.