concentration of 20% air saturation to 0.45 g/mol at 250% air saturation. These values are comparable with the values obtained for Nannochloropsis sp. in outdoor tubular photobioreactors with oxygen concentrations above 100% air saturation, which range from 0.46 – 0.74 g/mol (Chini Zitcili et al. 1999)
The decrease in quantum yields with increasing oxygen concentration is similar to the decrease that is predicted based on the selectivity of the isolated Rubisco. The slope of both curves is virtually the same (8*105 for the predicted values versus 9*105 for the measured values). The similarity in slope strongly indicates that oxygen mainly affects the carboxylase and oxygenase activity of Rubisco in these sub-saturating light conditions.