Michael E. Sieracki and Terry L. Cucci J.J. MacIsaac Facility for Individual Particle Analysis
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
McKown Point, West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575 USA
For more information about the J.J. MacIsaac Facility for Individual
Particle Analysis, please go to http://www.bigelow.org/~Sieracki
Data Examples Below are examples of standard plots from flow cytometric analyses
of cultures and different plankton communities. All analyses were done
with a Becton-Dickinson FacScan flow cytometer. Two bivariate plots are
shown for each sample type: one of forward vs. side scatter, and the other
of forward scatter vs. chlorophyll fluorescence. Forward light scatter
is primarily related to cell size. Side scatter (measured at 90 degrees)
is a due to a variety of factors including refractive index, granularity
and cell shape. Chlorophyll fluorescence is present only in photosynthesizing
cells (i.e. plant or phytoplankton cells), or in cells that have ingested
phytoplankton.
Phytoplankton cultures
A mixture of six phytoplankton cultures that were used for a bivalve
grazing study at the Bigelow Laboratory.
Natural assemblages
Estuarine
All particles greater than 1 um in a water sample from the York River
in Virginia. White dots represent non-chlorophyll containing particles
(inorganic, detritus, and heterotrophic cells). Colored dots represent
the different populations of phytoplankton cells.
Continental shelf
All particles greater than 1 um in a sample from Georges Bank. White
dots represent non-chlorophyll containing particles (inorganic, detritus,
and heterotrophic organisms). Colored dots represent various populations
of phytoplankton cells including the phycoerythrin-containing cells of
Synechococcus (red) and cryptomonads (green), and with other eukaryotic
phytoplankton (blue).
Open ocean
All particles greater than 0.5 um in a sample from the Sargasso Sea,
north of Bermuda. White dots represent non-chlorophyll containing particles
(inorganic, detritus, and heterotrophic organisms). Colored dots represent
various groups of phytoplankton cells such as Prochlorococcus (green),
the phycoerythrin-containing cells of Synechococcus (red) and other small
eukaryotic phytoplankton (blue).
email: msieracki@bigelow.org
Back
to Flow Cytometry and Microbiology Introductory Page
