This project utilizes three instruments, 1) a Becton Dickinson FACsAria II sorting flow cytometer, 2) an Amnis ImageStream multispectral cytometer with imaging capability, and 3) a Beckmann Coulter Multisizer 4 Coulter Counter, to provide a state-of-the-art suite of analysis tools for microbial oceanography and biotechnology. These instruments will enable population-scale evaluation of individual microbial cells for applications in 1) population analysis of ocean microbes and their ecophysiology, 2) metagenomics, 3) algal physiology, 4) algal biofuels, and 5) biotechnology. Microbes in the ocean ranging from bacteria to unicellular phytoplankton do not exist in isolation, but rather interact in populations on both the large and small scale. Understanding factors involved in ocean productivity involves monitoring the dynamics of changes in population over time, and in response to environmental changes. These instruments will enable the study of ocean microbe population dynamics in unprecedented detail. Technological applications of microalgae are of great scientific and societal interest, and flow cytometric analyses will aid in the development of renewable fuels, discovery and production of pharmaceuticals, and nanotechnology. These instruments will provide a state-of-the-art foundation for marine microbial and biotechnological research in the ocean and environmental sciences. This will enhance the ability to provide students and researchers with the training and modern tools to do cutting edge research in these areas. Broader impacts will be achieved through the operation of a shared research platform and strategic community-building activities. Perhaps the three most pressing science issues relating to society today are climate change, renewable fuels, and nanotechnology. Research resulting from the use of the proposed instruments will advance knowledge in all three areas.
