ABSTRACT
Biological testing to address ecotoxicity concerns for phototrophic systems has rapidly evolved over the past two decades. In particular, phytotoxicity tests carried out with microplates have been around for nearly as long, as verified by their search for publications within both the primary and "gray" literature. Recorded in this time-frame have been more than 50 articles, reports, and theses describing various methods, applications, and data comparisons, performed with miniaturized protocols involving microalgae. Microplate phytotoxicity testing procedures conducted on solid media have been reported by a research group from the Institute of Botany, Dukelska, Czech Republic. The concept and practice of applying microplate-based tests with batteries of microalgae were introduced by a research group from the Swedish University of Goteborg. A phenomenon commonly associated with 96-well microtitration plates is the so-called "edge effect," whereby the evaporation rate of circumferential wells tends to be greater than that of centrally-located wells.
