Photosynthetic uptake of inorganic carbon and regulation of photosynthetic CO2 affinity were investigated in Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve. The pH independence of K1/2(CO2) values indicated that algae grown at either ambient (12 μmol L–1) or low (3 μmol L–1) CO2 predominantly took up CO2 from the medium. The lower pH compensation point (9.12) and insensitivity of photosynthetic rate to di-isothiocyanatostilbene disulfonic acid (DIDS) indicated that the alga had poor capacity for direct HCO3– utilisation. Photosynthetic CO2 affinity is regulated by the concentration of CO2 rather than HCO3–, CO32– or total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the medium. The response of photosynthetic CO2 affinity to changes in CO2 concentration was most sensitive within the range 3–48 μmol L–1 CO2. Light was required for the induction of photosynthetic CO2 affinity, but not for its repression, when cells were shifted between high (126 μmol L–1) and ambient (12 μmol L–1) CO2. The time needed for cells grown at high CO2 (126 μmol L–1) to fully develop photosynthetic CO2 affinity at ambient CO2 was approximately 2 h, but acclimation to low or very low CO2 levels (3 and 1.3 μmol L–1, respectively) took more than 10 h. Cells grown at low CO2 (3 μmol L–1) required approximately 10 h for repression of all photosynthetic CO2 affinity when transferred to ambient or high CO2 (12 or 126 μmol L–1, respectively), and more than 10 h at very high CO2 (392 μmol L–1).
