I frequently encounter tiny fast moving round microalge (?) species as a contaminant in Haematococcus culture when the culture is grown below 0.6 mg/L phophate conditions.
I suspect it to be some haptophyte but not sure.
It is most likely a zoospore. When Haematococcus is nutrient deplete or limited it can enter a sexual stage, where the zoospore will appear like small Chlamydomonas cells.
Hello,
I recommend you to take a really small aliquot of the culture and fix it so you can make a good observation of those fast moving cells, and check for diacritical characters. You might even try some dye for a better id of the group and confirm or discard Everett Eustance assumption.
Have a nice day.
Many types of cyanobacteria have competitive advantages in low nutrient conditions because they can fix nitrogen.
It might be as response to limitation of nutrient , so it could be zoospore
Synechococcus is very good at taking up very low phosphate concentrations. It became very dense in Thau lagoon following oligotrophication in the mid-90s.
Article Oligotrophication and emergence of picocyanobacteria and a t...
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