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Flow Cytometer
Flow Cytometry is an advanced method of counting individual cells, including single-celled organisms. It can rapidly measure small differences in individual cells as they pass through a laser beam. These variations are enough to identify different species of plankton, including very small microbes quickly and accurately. While a scientist might be able to count a few hundred cells in a minute, a Flow Cytometer can, not only count, but also identify many thousands of cells in the same time. Two different instruments that employ Flow Cytometer technology presently being used by the Census are the Flow Cytobot and the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP). Both enable scientists to study plankton community structure and dynamics in great detail and create image catalogs for further analysis and identification.
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| The Flow Cytobot being tested off the side of the coastal research vessel MYTILUS. This instrument means that work that is usually done in a laboratory can now be done by scientists out in the field. (Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) |
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A diagram of the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), another instrument that works similarly to a standard Flow Cytometer. The ESP can be used to gather a number of different pieces of information, such as the genetic composition of microbial organisms in the ocean, and is now being used by Census projects. (Image courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and ICoMM) |
Click on the links below to see what Census projects use this technology:
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