Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Abstract Offshore macroalgae production could provide an alternative source of biomass for food, materials and energy. However, the offshore environment in general, specifically the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) offshore, is a high energy and low nutrients environment, thus challenging for macroal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41605-4 |
| _version_ | 1797452810682368000 |
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| author | Meiron Zollmann Alex Liberzon Ruslana R. Palatnik David Zilberman Alexander Golberg |
| author_facet | Meiron Zollmann Alex Liberzon Ruslana R. Palatnik David Zilberman Alexander Golberg |
| author_sort | Meiron Zollmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Offshore macroalgae production could provide an alternative source of biomass for food, materials and energy. However, the offshore environment in general, specifically the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) offshore, is a high energy and low nutrients environment, thus challenging for macroalgae farming. In this study, we experimentally investigated the impact of season, depth, and pre-cultivation fertilization duration on the growth rates and chemical composition of offshore Ulva biomass, and developed a predictive model tailored to offshore conditions, capable of estimating both biomass growth rate and nitrogen content. Specifically, we measured Ulva biomass growth rate and internal nitrogen in the nitrogen-poor EMS a few kilometers offshore the Israeli coast at various depths and on-shore pre-cultivation fertilization schedules. Based on these data, we constructed a predictive cultivation model of Ulva offshore growth, which allows for the optimization of fertilization requirements for offshore cultivation. This study provides new insights on the effects of seasonality, depth, and pre-cultivation fertilization duration on growth rates and chemical composition of offshore Ulva sp. biomass production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:14:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c37aba8f86aa4f939c80bbdf26ada2a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:14:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-c37aba8f86aa4f939c80bbdf26ada2a62023-11-26T13:12:22ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-0113111310.1038/s41598-023-41605-4Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean SeaMeiron Zollmann0Alex Liberzon1Ruslana R. Palatnik2David Zilberman3Alexander Golberg4Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversitySchool of Mechanical Engineering, Tel Aviv UniversityDepartment of Economics and Management, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley CollegeDepartment of Agricultural and Resource Economics, The University of California at BerkleyPorter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityAbstract Offshore macroalgae production could provide an alternative source of biomass for food, materials and energy. However, the offshore environment in general, specifically the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) offshore, is a high energy and low nutrients environment, thus challenging for macroalgae farming. In this study, we experimentally investigated the impact of season, depth, and pre-cultivation fertilization duration on the growth rates and chemical composition of offshore Ulva biomass, and developed a predictive model tailored to offshore conditions, capable of estimating both biomass growth rate and nitrogen content. Specifically, we measured Ulva biomass growth rate and internal nitrogen in the nitrogen-poor EMS a few kilometers offshore the Israeli coast at various depths and on-shore pre-cultivation fertilization schedules. Based on these data, we constructed a predictive cultivation model of Ulva offshore growth, which allows for the optimization of fertilization requirements for offshore cultivation. This study provides new insights on the effects of seasonality, depth, and pre-cultivation fertilization duration on growth rates and chemical composition of offshore Ulva sp. biomass production.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41605-4 |
| spellingShingle | Meiron Zollmann Alex Liberzon Ruslana R. Palatnik David Zilberman Alexander Golberg Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Scientific Reports |
| title | Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea |
| title_full | Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea |
| title_fullStr | Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea |
| title_short | Effects of season, depth and pre-cultivation fertilizing on Ulva growth dynamics offshore the Eastern Mediterranean Sea |
| title_sort | effects of season depth and pre cultivation fertilizing on ulva growth dynamics offshore the eastern mediterranean sea |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41605-4 |
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