Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Identification

Objective: To provide identification of armored heterotrophic dinoflagellates in support of the Commonwealth's Pfiesteria monitoring efforts and VIMS research.

Clonal cultures obtained from the VIMS Isolation and Culture facility are chemically preserved intact or stripped of their outer membranes to expose taxonomically important thecal plates.

Samples are processed by standard methods for examination on a LEO 435VP Scanning Electron Microscope.

Photomicrographs are generated to enable 3-dimensional reconstruction of surface orientation and number of thecal plates.

Definitive dinoflagellate identifications are based on 3-D morphological reconstruction.