Abstract
The comparability of data from multiple sources is a key factor in ensuring the success of international monitoring programmes such as the EU Water Framework Directive, EC, 2000. This study investigated the effects of using different Lugol’s iodine solutions on marine phytoplankton cell counts, over timescales ranging from 1 day to 8 months of preservation. Samples from cultures of Ditylum brightwellii, Prorocentrum lima, Karenia mikimotoi, Coccolithus pelagicus, Tetraselmis suecica and one (mixed) wild sample were preserved in each of three Lugol’s solutions (neutral, more dilute acidified and less dilute acidified). Cells were enumerated using the Utermöhl method, and comparisons were made across preservatives over time. Our results show that no single Lugol’s solution was most effective at limiting cell degradation across all taxa and the relative ratios of taxa may change in a phytoplankton sample as a result of preservation time and preservative used. These findings must be considered when comparing data derived from differently preserved samples. We strongly recommend that published data on marine algal cell concentrations derived from Lugol’s preserved samples must include information on which preservative was used and the lag time between preservation and analysis.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Richard Pipe and Maria Jutson formerly of The Plymouth Culture Collection, Marine Biological Association, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK for supplying cultured live cells used in the experiment. We also thank David Sivyer and Dr Veronique Creach of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK for supplying the wild sample and T. suecica culture, respectively.
We further thank Cheryl Crisp, Steve Milligan, Nicola Travell and Alison Walton of the Plankton Laboratory, Cefas, for assisting in the analysis and management of the experimental work. In addition, we thank Dr Michaela Schratzberger for providing support for the write-up of this manuscript and two anonymous referees for their comments.
The Seedcorn fund of Cefas, UK, provided financial support for this work (Grant Number: DP337).
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Data available from the Cefas Data Hub DOI: http://doi.org/10.14466/CefasDataHub.1
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Williams, O.J., Beckett, R.E. & Maxwell, D.L. Marine phytoplankton preservation with Lugol’s: a comparison of solutions. J Appl Phycol 28, 1705–1712 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0704-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-015-0704-4