Specific growth rate and mitotic index in dinoflagellate Symbiodinium sp. isolateed from sea anemone Stichodactyla haddoni

The cultivation techniques of dinoflagellates is often problematic due to their sensitivity to hydrodynamic (shear) stress. For this study, sea anemone was collected from the east coast of Hormuz Island. First, we extracted symbiotic dinoflagellate, Symbiodinium sp. from Stichodactylla haddoni using manually homogenization. After transferring to the laboratory, samples were cultured in different mediums of ASP12, ASP8, F2-Gillard and L1, under temperatures of 17±1, 23±1 and 29±1 °C. The amount of light was about 100 µ mol.photon.m-2.s-1. Then, microalgae were cultured again in the selective medium ASP12. Cell counting was performed using a Neubauer chamber every day. Growth and mitotic index were measured during the period of cultivation. Maximum mitotic index, cell numbers and growth rates were observed at 23±1 °C at a rate of 40%, 12×105 cell/ml and 0.086 d-1,respectively. The results showed significant differences between cell numbers and growth rates of Zooxanthellae at three different temperatures (P <0.05). In conclusion, this study showed that environmental factors such as temperature can affect the growth rate of dinoflagellate, Symbiodinium sp.