Phenotypic Plasticity of Microalgal Cultures in Culture Collections: a Geometric Morphometric Approach Jiří Neustupa

The algal culture collections include numerous old strains whose morphological characteristics may have changed after decades of subculturing. This case study of the fifty-yearold Pringsheim CAUP H 3301 strain of Keratococcus bicaudatus was conducted using geometric morphometric analysis of phenotypic plasticity to detect possible shifts in morphology. The results of relative warp analysis indicate that the young cultured population corresponds well with literature data regarding the morphology and phenotypic plasticity of the species. However, the culture expresses more phenotypic plasticity in both young and old populations.