Australian National Algae Culture Collection

  1. Australian National Algae Culture Collection
  2. Biodiversity research
  3. Bioapplications of algae
  4. Environmental applications
  5. Algal Culture Facility
  6. Microalgae Supply Service

Environmental applications

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Harmful algae

More than 200 strains in the algae collection are coastal marine, estuarine and freshwater species responsible for harmful algal blooms (HABs).

Research into life histories, phytoplankton dynamics, nutrient interactions, genetic typing and gene expression, and control of toxin production with these strains is used to improve biogeochemical models and aid environmental management. 

Projects in this area are investigating algal-bacterial interactions in HAB development and toxicity and developing target genes to be incorporated in biological sensors designed to detect functional processes of ecological significance.

Phytoplankton pigments

Cultured microalgae are used to provide pigment reference material which can provide simple descriptions of phytoplankton community composition on a regional scale.

Pigment analyses of algal cultures and other bio-optical measurements are used to ground truth estimates of phytoplankton biomass and other aspects of water quality detected by satellites.

Modis algae bloom

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites helped scientists identify this large algal bloom off the eastern coast of Tasmania in October 2004. Scientists from CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research believe the bloom resulted from the natural upwelling of nutrients along the island’s coast. The bloom is made up of coccolithophores, and is not believed to be harmful to the coastal ecosystem.