9420085 Shapiro Past reports suggest that Antarctic phytoplankton are hypersensitive to small thermal changes. However, actual documentation is difficult because of problems associated with currently available methods. Documentation of cell death and/or metabolic arrest, associated with changes in temperature less than that associated with formation and retreat of sea ice, could affect our understanding of Antarctic ecology. This project investigates the potential application of some recently developed fluorescent probes in biomedical research for evaluating mammalian cell biology to biological oceanography, i.e., phytoplankton metabolic activity and cell death. However, fluorescent probes may or may not prove useful for evaluating the physiological state of phytoplankton cells in response to temperature stress. If appropriate protocols are worked out, biological oceanographers will be able to examine and evaluate temperature responses of polar phytoplankton in response to formation and retreat of polar sea ice.
