FlowCAM imaging flow cytometer for eco-evolutionary plankton research

水生生态系统为加拿大人提供有益的商品和服务，如清洁饮用水、商业渔业、娱乐机会和文化价值。然而，气候变化、营养负荷增加和污染等应激源可能会危及生物体的成功，并最终危及整个水生生态系统的功能。我们需要一台FlowCAM成像流式细胞仪，它将允许我们进行实验，以找出淡水中的自然浮游生物群落如何应对多种常见的压力源，以及当面临压力源时，进化过程在多大程度上有助于群落的救援。另一个目标是开发技术，使我们能够合成在压力环境中发挥作用的社区。这样的物种组合可以作为“起始群落”，恢复受干扰的生态系统的活体部分。

Aquatic ecosystems provide to Canadians beneficial goods and services such as clean drinking water, commercial fisheries, recreational opportunities and cultural values. However, stressors such as climate change, increased nutrient loads and pollution can compromise the success of organisms and, ultimately, the functioning of whole aquatic ecosystems. We are requesting a FlowCAM imaging flow cytometer that will allow us to perform experiments to find out how natural plankton communities in freshwater respond to multiple common stressors and to what degree evolutionary processes contribute to the communities' rescue when facing stressors. Another goal is to develop technology that will allow us to synthesize communities that function in stressed environments. Such species assemblages could serve as “starter communities” to restore the living component of disturbed ecosystems.