Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa

CCAP has been hosted at Scottish Association For Marine Science for 20 years... NERC: Natural Environment Research Council

New paper citing strains CCAP 258/71 Desmodesmus hystrix and CCAP 276/18 Desmodesmus perforatus "Comparative chloroplast genome analysis of two #Desmodesmus species reveals genome diversity within Scenedesmaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyceae)" #phylogeny #wholegenomesequence https://lnkd.in/gQYg3ZSG

New paper citing strain CCAP 946/6 Prymnesium parvum: "Prymnesium parvum: Correlation between lytic activity and prymnesin content, both increasing with phosphorus-depletion and lower cell density" https://lnkd.in/gjjhiH3Z

A great day at Glasgow Botanical Gardens last Friday for our first pop-up Museum of Microalgae - MoMa https://lnkd.in/ezZMNDWg Over 300 visitors sampled brownies, cakes and oatsquares made with white chlorella as dairy/egg substitute, diatom shaped chocolates, looked at samples microscopically, discovered snow algae, saw how microalgae can be used in architecture and biodesign, made origami algae and badges, and generally learned how wonderful microscopic life is, all in a beautiful setting. The cakes were provided by Algenuity Ingredients; chocolates (and cultures) by Sinead, Simin and Shavran from Edinburgh University; Lucia Giron and Namata Bhatnagar, part of the Biodesign Collective, brought their near-future microalgal architectural and personal care systems; Thibaut Pollina brought his PlanktoScope. Thanks to Scottish Sea Farms for sponsorship, Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation who supported the Scottish Red Snow Project, and to the CCAP and Scottish Association For Marine Science staff who ran the event, particularly Eric Bear who created MoMa #museumofmicroalgae #plankton #STEM #microalgae #pondlife #phycology #scienceisfun #snowalgae #chlorella #plantbasedproteins

I am really pleased that Szabolcs Pap, Mark Taggart, Rose Boyko, Puja Kumari and I have just published “Chapter 5: The Use of Marine Biomass in Biofertiliser and Biostimulant Production: Current Status and Future Perspectives” in the Royal Society of Chemistry textbook “Blue Bioeconomy: Value-added Products from Marine Algae and Microorganisms” https://lnkd.in/epvKtmTZ This work was part of a collaborative research project called Green Shoots from Blue Growth (https://lnkd.in/eqndJBvB) that is supported by Co-op Food and the Co-op Foundation Scottish Association For Marine Science, Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, SRUC, Environmental Research Institute

CCAP was visited today by Thibaut Pollina of FairScope, the inventor of the PlanktoScope - a modular, open-source hardware and software platform for plankton imaging. The #PlanktoScope allows high-throughput quantitative imaging of plankton samples in the lab or in the field. It was really interesting to have a look at it and see what it can do! https://lnkd.in/eTpjnGMi #citizenscience #plankton #marinescience #pondlife #opensource #modular #microscopy #stem #microalgae

A team of phytoplanktonologists set up a Museum of Micro Algae in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. We had such a great bunch of visitors all day! There were cultures under microscopes (and plankoscopes), but also chocolate diatoms, origami diatoms, button-making... and beautiful phytoplankton-inspired art. Thanks to Eric Bear for organising all of us from SAMS, University of Strathcylde, University of Edinburgh, Algenuity, Planktoscope and more!

New genus and species Katarium polorum described in the paper below by Marcel Dominik Solbach, Michael Bonkowski and Kenneth Dumack, the two strains are held in CCAP: https://lnkd.in/eKHGA6vd

It was such a joy to demonstrate the PlanktoScope along with the new Foldscope Instruments, Inc. in the fantastic Glasgow Botanic Gardens thanks to the Museum of Microalgae (microalgaemuseum.com). Unveiling the mesmerizing world of microalgae—these tiny yet inspiring and stunningly beautiful organisms. The event showcased a diverse range of initiatives, each more captivating than the last. The evening itself was equally enriching, surrounded by a community of passionate scientists who truly embody the spirit of exploration and discovery. It was a privilege to be in such inspiring company! Thanks to Eric Bear, Alex Thomson, Francisca Vermeulen, Cecilia Rad Menéndez, Sinéad Collins, Michael Ross, Lucia Giron and others for organising this. Scottish Association For Marine Science, Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, University of Strathclyde, Algenuity, PlanktoScope #Microalgae #ScienceOutreach #CitizenScience #Microscopy #Foldscope #PlanktoScope #GlasgowBotanicGardens #MarineBiology #EnvironmentalAwareness #ScienceCommunication