METHOD OF IDENTIFYING PIGMENTS FROM A SINGLE CELL USING CONFOCAL IMAGE SPECTROPHOTOMETRY IN PHOTOTROPHIC COMMUNITIES

摘要

The invention relates to a non-invasive method of analysing a sample emitting low-excitation laser fluorescence without any prior labelling, using a confocal laser scanning microscope which is connected to a spectrophotometer detector. The inventive method can be used for in-vivo three-dimensional position finding in relation to each community and for direct in-situ analysis of the fluorescent pigments of an individual cell in intact bulk samples. The relationship between said two determinations enables the pigments to be identified, the groups and species present in the sample to be subsequently identified and the physiological state of each individual organism to be ascertained. The invention can be used to identify problematic proliferations of algae in aquatic and aerophytic ecosystems.