Profiling Marine Phytoplankton using State of the Art Microcytometry

Project Rationale:
Phytoplankton are essential to processes that sustain earths habitability, however little is known about the intricate and complex interactions between different phytoplankton, and their environment. To address this, scientists and engineers at the National Oceanography Center (NOC), the University of Southampton (UoS) and the Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) are developing a new generation of miniaturised and robust phytoplankton analysis tools that could be used in the laboratory, or modified for deployment directly in the ocean and provide data at high temporal and spatial resolution. Central to this is the development of a new Lab on a Chip ‘micro-cytometer’ instrument (CYTOCHIP), which measures the optical and electrical properties of phytoplankton as they pass through a ‘chip’, approximately the size of a fingernail. These instruments can be used to discriminate between different cells based on their size, shape, pigmentation and membrane properties, and have applications ranging from the study of phytoplankton ecology to the detection and enumeration of phytoplankton that can give rise to harmful algal blooms. This project will develop new methods for the study of marine phytoplankton by combining the state of the art in cytometry with conventional analytical methods including microscopy and nucleic acid-based techniques.

Methodology:
The project will benefit from the existing suite of state of the art cytometers available at the participant institutions. Phytoplankton will be made available from our pre-existing collection (at the NOC), and natural seawater samples will be collected from coastal and offshore waters using conventional ‘bottle’ sampling methods. A range of phytoplankton-containing samples including single-species and mixed species cultures, and natural seawater samples spiked with specific target phytoplankton cells will be subjected to a range of environmental conditions, and measured using optical and impedance based cytometry, and other techniques including nucleic acid-based analysis methods. The data will be used to develop new methods and optimal system configurations for (i) the discrimination of phytoplankton cell types based on their optical, electrical and gene expression profiles, and (ii) the specific recognition of important target species within a highly mixed background. The new methods and configurations explored will be used to direct the development of a portable and/or deployable system, which could be used at the point of sample. Whilst it is not anticipated that the fabrication of fully autonomous, sea-worthy analysis systems will be developed within the project, the candidate will make a significant contribution to on-going technology and method development.

Training:
The INSPIRE DTP programme provides comprehensive personal and professional development training alongside extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/policy partners. The student will be registered at the University of Southampton and hosted at the National Oceanography Centre (Southampton). Specific training will include: (i) advanced training in state of the art molecular biological methods including but not limited to the molecular detection and enumeration of specific phytoplankton species; (ii) the use of conventional (optical/fluorescence) cytometry for the measurement of phytoplankton in natural water samples (iii) the use of state of the art, multi-parametric (fluorescence/impedance) micro-cytometry, (iv) phytoplankton cell culture, and (v) the design and operation of sensors for autonomous systems. Because of the multidisciplinary field, we expect to train students in some or all of the core skills required. Experience in molecular biology, chemistry, engineering, or applied technical disciplines relevant to the specific research would be an advantage.