• The (maximum) growth rate (µ_max) hypothesis predicts that cellular and tissue phosphorus (P) concentrations should increase with increasing growth rate, and RNA should also increase as most of the P is required to make ribosomes.
• Using published data, we show that though there is a strong positive relationship between the µ_max of all photosynthetic organisms and their P content (% dry weight), leading to a relatively constant P productivity, the relationship with RNA content is more complex.
• In eukaryotes there is a strong positive relationship between µ_max and RNA content expressed as % dry weight, and RNA constitutes a relatively constant 25% of total P. In prokaryotes the rRNA operon copy number is the important determinant of the amount of RNA present in the cell. The amount of phospholipid expressed as % dry weight increases with increasing µ_max in microalgae. The relative proportions of each of the five major P‐containing constituents is remarkably constant, except that the proportion of RNA is greater and phospholipids smaller in prokaryotic than eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms. The effect of temperature differences between studies was minor.
• The evidence for and against P‐containing constituents other than RNA being involved with ribosome synthesis and functioning is discussed.

中文翻译：

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最大生长速率假说对于真核光合生物是正确的，但对蓝细菌却不正确

• 的（最大）生长速率（μ_最大）假设预测，细胞和组织的磷（P）的浓度应随生长速率增加，并且因为大部分P的需要使核糖体RNA也应增加。
• 使用公开的数据，我们显示，尽管所有光合生物的µ _max与它们的P含量（干重％）之间都具有很强的正相关关系，从而导致P生产率相对恒定，但与RNA含量的关系更为复杂。
• 在真核生物中有μ之间有很强的正相关关系_最大值表示为干重％和RNA含量，和RNA构成总P.在相对恒定的25％的原核生物中的rRNA操纵子的拷贝数是RNA中存在的量的重要的决定因素细胞。表示为干重％的磷脂量随着微藻中_最大μmax的增加而增加。与真核光合生物相比，原核生物中五种主要含磷成分的相对比例非常恒定，只是RNA的比例较大，而磷脂的比例较小。研究之间的温差影响很小。
• 讨论了与核糖体合成和功能有关的，除RNA以外的含P成分的证据。