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Isolation of cyanobacteria from the aquatic fern, Azolla

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Abstract

A procedure has been developed to isolate cyanobacteria from the aquatic fern Azolla. The method is based upon recovery of cyanobacterial “bundles” from digests of plants and use of this material as a massive inoculum for nitrogen-free media, followed by prolonged incubation in light. The procedure appears to select for those cells capable of growth in vitro. Isolated cyanobacteria were found to resemble Anabaena sp. morphologically but were capable of heterotrophic growth and had high nitrogenase activity when grown on fructose in the dark.

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Newton, J.W., Herman, A.I. Isolation of cyanobacteria from the aquatic fern, Azolla . Arch. Microbiol. 120, 161–165 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00409103

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