ABSTRACT
Phytoplankton, as auto fluorescent particles suspended in a fluid medium, are well suited for analysis by flow cytometry; this technique can be used to rapidly count, measure, and isolate individual cells. This chapter presents a specific protocol for analyzing the picophytoplankton, references to protocols for some other phytoplankton groups, and general practical suggestions for flow cytometric analyses of natural samples. It briefly discusses specialized instrumentation or methodology, with references to the pertinent literature. A flow cytometer examines individual particles flowing through a sensing region. The optical measurements from flow cytometry contain information which can be used to identify and enumerate groups of phytoplankton such as cyanobacteria, prochlorophytes, coccolithophorids, pennate diatoms, and cryptophytes. After the samples are run on the flow cytometer, the data can be analyzed on the instrument computer or transferred to another computer so that the instrument is available for running more samples.
