= Dunaliella parva
{c}
<Dunaliella parva> is a unicellular green member of the <algae> adapted to saline environments, making it an experimental example of a <halophile>. Its ability to adjust intracellular <glycerol> connects a change in external <salinity> to a measurable cellular response.<The Role of Glycerol in the Osmotic Regulation of the Halophilic Alga Dunaliella parva by Ami Ben-Amotz and Mordhay Avron>[Abstract: halophilic alga and intracellular glycerol]{ref}
In 1973, <Ami Ben-Amotz> and <Mordhay Avron> measured cellular volume and <glycerol> content. For cells cultured in $1.5\,\mathrm{M}$ <sodium chloride>, they estimated an intracellular <glycerol> concentration of about $2.1\,\mathrm{M}$. Increasing or decreasing the external salt caused corresponding glycerol adjustments, reaching a new balance in about90minutes. Above the reported salt threshold, leakage did not explain the changes, supporting synthesis and breakdown as a mechanism of <osmoregulation>.<The Role of Glycerol in the Osmotic Regulation of the Halophilic Alga Dunaliella parva by Ami Ben-Amotz and Mordhay Avron>[Abstract: volume estimate, salt shifts and leakage observation]{ref}
The experiment compares distinct quantities: salt outside the <cell> and <glycerol> inside it. Their numerical concentrations should not be equated as if they alone specified equal <osmotic pressure>; <sodium chloride> dissociates and other cellular solutes also contribute. The informative result is the regulated response to a controlled environmental change, not a universal concentration ratio for all <halophiles>.
Back to article page
