ADVANCES IN OCEANOGRAPHY THROUGH FLOW CYTOMETRY
R. J. Olson!, E. R. Zettler!, S. W. Chisholm 2 , J. A. Dusenberryl
!Biology Department
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
2Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory
48-425 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
INTRODUCTION
As forecast by Boyd (1978) well over a decade ago, the analysis of individual plankton cells
by flow cytometry has become a powerful tool in oceanography, and it has given us a new
window through which to look at the plankton community. Here we illustrate some of the
ways in which flow cytometry has already advanced the science of oceanography (with
emphasis on direct field applications) and point out some of the directions in which further
advances can be expected. We will also address some of the limitations of existing technology
and the efforts needed to overcome these limitations.
Current applications of flow cytometry to oceanography fall into two general categories:
ecological and physical (Fig. 1). The first has as its goal understanding a particular group of
organisms or relationships between organisms, while the second represents attempts to
understand physical properties of the ocean through consideration of the optical properties of
its particles. There is considerable overlap between these two categories, and the same data
sets can be applied to questions in both; for example, measurements of diel changes in the
light scatter signal from cells can be used to estimate their growth rates and to interpret bulk
beam attenuation patterns.
NATO AS! Series, Vol. G 27
Particle Analysis in Oceanography
Edited by S. Demers
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1991
R. J. Olson!, E. R. Zettler!, S. W. Chisholm 2 , J. A. Dusenberryl
!Biology Department
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
2Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory
48-425 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
INTRODUCTION
As forecast by Boyd (1978) well over a decade ago, the analysis of individual plankton cells
by flow cytometry has become a powerful tool in oceanography, and it has given us a new
window through which to look at the plankton community. Here we illustrate some of the
ways in which flow cytometry has already advanced the science of oceanography (with
emphasis on direct field applications) and point out some of the directions in which further
advances can be expected. We will also address some of the limitations of existing technology
and the efforts needed to overcome these limitations.
Current applications of flow cytometry to oceanography fall into two general categories:
ecological and physical (Fig. 1). The first has as its goal understanding a particular group of
organisms or relationships between organisms, while the second represents attempts to
understand physical properties of the ocean through consideration of the optical properties of
its particles. There is considerable overlap between these two categories, and the same data
sets can be applied to questions in both; for example, measurements of diel changes in the
light scatter signal from cells can be used to estimate their growth rates and to interpret bulk
beam attenuation patterns.
NATO AS! Series, Vol. G 27
Particle Analysis in Oceanography
Edited by S. Demers
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1991