The Use of Immunocytochemical Techniques for Phytoplankton Growth Rate Estimation Via Cell Cycle Analysis

用于测量物种特异性生长速率和量子产率的单细胞技术已经开发和测试。海洋浮游植物单个物种的生长速度可以通过物种DNA复制的死亡周期数据来确定。根据单细胞吸收光谱和日积分光强的光谱分布确定了物种特异性量子产率。这些技术已经在现场条件下进行了测试，结果与相关的实验室研究一致。在这项研究中，卡彭特博士和合作者将开发一种更简单、更广泛适用的方法，通过使用细胞周期标记来测量生长速度。这种新方法将节省时间，消除对精密设备的要求，并允许生产永久玻片以保存记录。将开发一种将浮游植物细胞与浮游动物和碎屑颗粒分离的技术，使这些测量成为可能。此外，这些技术将用于研究长岛湾浮游植物演替的原因，并检验由硅藻为主的群落向甲藻为主的群落的变化是由相应种群的内在生长速率变化引起的假设。

Single-cell techniques for measuring species-specific growth rates and quantum yield in situ have been developed and tested. The growth rates of individual species of marine phytoplankton can be determined from data on a species' diel cycle of DNA replication. The species-specific quantum yield is determined from single-cell absorption spectra and the spectral distribution of daily integrated light intensity. These techniques have been tested in field conditions, and the results agree with related lab studies. In this research, Dr. Carpenter and collaborators will develop a simpler and more widely applicable method of measuring growth rates by using cell cycle markers. This new approach will be less time consuming, eliminate the requirement for sophisticated equipment, and allow the production of permanent slides for record keeping. A technique for separating phytoplankton cells from zooplankton and detrital particles will be developed to make these measurements possible. In addition, these techniques will be applied to study the causes of phytoplankton succession in Long Island Sound and to test the hypothesis that the change from a diatom dominated community to a dinoflagellate dominated one is caused by the alteration of intrinsic growth rates in corresponding populations.