Algae. 1990; 5(2): 131-136.

Preparation of Unialgal Cultures from Natural Waters by a Micropipette Technique

Hee-Mock Oh, G-Yull Rhee

School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research, New York State Department of Health Empire State Plaza

An improved capillary pipetting method was developed to prepare unialgal cultures from natural waters. A capillary pipette which was maneuvered by a micromanipulator under an inverted microscope was used to isolate a single organism. The diameter of the pipette was tailored to the size of target organism and a slightly positive pressure differential was maintained in the pipette using a metal valve to control capillary suction. This combination of capillary diameter and pressure differential allowed a better discrimation against nontarget species and greatly improved the success rate of obtaining unialgal cultures. An epifluorescence microscope was highly efficient for the early detection of contaminants. Using this improved method, 30 species of algae (11 Chlorophyceae, 12 Cyanophyceae, 6 Bacillariophyceae. and I Rhodophyceae) were isolated from Korean rice paddies, rivers, and reservoirs.

Keywords : unialgal cultures, micropipette technique, natural waters