Cell volume to cell carbon conversion factors for a bacterivorous Monas sp. enriched from seawater

Abstract

A bacterivorous Monas sp. was ennched from seawater. Particulate carbon of the enrichment cultures was measured together w ~t h flagellate and bacterial number and volume. The volunle of flagellates was measured on living and on preserved cells using several different preservation and microscopy procedures and Coulter Counter. The specific carbon content of the living flagellates was found to be lOOfgC pm-3. For preserved cells measured in the epifluorescence microscope after staining with DAPI, we suggest a volume to carbon conversion factor of 220 fg C l 7 2