Effect of elevated temperature on Euglena gracilis growth rate

Abstract

Euglena gracilis, a unicellular microalgal species, play an integral role in marine ecosystems. However, climate induced temperature change is expected to decrease the abundance of these flagellated protists (Roleda et al, 2013). Here, we measured the growth rate of E. gracilis following incubation in high temperature environments in order to mimic potential global warming conditions. E. gracilis was grown for two weeks at incubation temperatures of 25^oC, 30^oC and 35^oC (n = 3 for each treatment). The average growth rate of each sample was found to be 0.00437 ± 0.00178, 0.00403 ± 0.00123, and 0.00337 ± 0.00173 %/hour respectively. A one-way ANOVA analysis resulted in an F-value of 0.634 and a corresponding p-value of 0.563. These results are statistically insignificant at α = 0.05 and suggest that elevated temperature up to 35^oC does not affect the average growth rate of E. gracilis.