ARPHA Preprints, doi: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e124344
Guidance on the use of microscopy in the detection of zoosporic parasites of phytoplankton in natural systems and algal biotechnology
expand article infoMilos Stupar‡, Wejden Gongi§, Silke Van den Wyngaert|, Alexandra Kraberg, Albert Reñé#, Serena Rasconi¤
‡ University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Belgrade, Serbia§ Institute of Materials Science of Mulhouse (IS2M), CNRS Mulhouse, Mulhouse, France| Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland¶ Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, Germany# Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain¤ Université Savoie Mont Blanc, INRAE, CARRTEL, Thonon les Bains, France

Corresponding author: Milos Stupar ( smilos@bio.bg.ac.rs )

© Milos Stupar, Wejden Gongi, Silke Van den Wyngaert, Alexandra Kraberg, Albert Reñé, Serena Rasconi.
This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Stupar M, Gongi W, Van den Wyngaert S, Kraberg A, Reñé A, Rasconi S (2024) Guidance on the use of microscopy in the detection of zoosporic parasites of phytoplankton in natural systems and algal biotechnology. ARPHA Preprints. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e124344
Open Access
Abstract

The objective of this methodological paper is to outline a microscopy protocol for detecting and observing fungal zoosporic parasites of phytoplankton in natural environments, with potential applications in algal biotechnology to enhance the success and sustainability of algal cultivation endeavors. The fluorescent dual staining with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and Calcofluor White (CFW) showcased during the Training School "Identification and detection of zoosporic parasites" in Neuglobsow (Germany) from 16th till 18th of May 2023 and organized and funded by COST Action ParAqua (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) illustrated its ease of implementation and suitability for diverse natural and artificial systems.

Keywords
algal biotechnology, calcofluor white, chytrids, microscopy, wheat germ agglutinin