Laboratory culture of gametophytic stages of the marine macroalgae champia parvula (rhodophyta) and laminaria saccharina (phaeophyta)

Abstract

AbstractMethods to help characterize the toxicity of effluent discharges within the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System have been developed for the marine red alga Champia parvula and are currently being developed for the brown alga Laminaria saccharina. These methods require maintaining male and female gametophytes in laboratory cultures. Aseptic techniques are recommended even though the cultures are not intended to be axenic; the purpose is to guard against microalgal contamination. C. parvula can be grown at room temperature, but L. saccharina requires a controlled temperature chamber (12–15°C). Both species can be cultured successfully in either natural or artificial seawater.