After systematic comparison of common grocery store foods — including oats, cocoa powder, nuts, seeds, and milk — pumpkin seed kernels (pepitas) emerged as the optimal single-food nutrient source for P. bursaria and its zoochlorella endosymbionts. Their unusually high phosphorus concentration (1233 mg/100g) dilutes all penalty ions to levels unmatched by any other readily available food. They deliver all required macro- and micronutrients in a single, tweezerable solid that decomposes gradually via bacterial intermediaries.
| Nutrient | Amount | Per mg P | Role in P. bursaria / zoochlorella |
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