Notes on the Culture of some Marine Plankton Organisms

Abstract

The methods are described which made possible the establishment of pure cultures of a number of centric plankton diatoms and of the dinoflagellateProrocentrum micans.By means of a modified technique cultures were obtained of some nannoplankton autotroph flagellates varying in size from 2 to 10u. Attention is drawn to their great number in the plankton and to their importance as food in the sea.Herring, Angler and Pilchard larvae were reared for respectively 27, 29 and 15 days after hatching. The young Herrings and Pilchards fed onChlamydomonassp. andProrocentrum, the Anglers on nauplii ofArtemia salina. Some evidence is given for the conclusion that the ultimate failure in rearing these species was caused by too high and variable temperatures.