In 1985, the strain enrichment procedure utilizing the rotary screening apparatus described previously was modified to include incubation of samples in SERI Type I and Type II media (25 and 55 mmho^cm-1 conductivity) and in artificial seawater, in addition to the original site water. The cultures that exhibited substantial algal growth were further treated to isolate the predominant strains as unialgal (clonal) isolates. These strains were then tested for growth using the temperature-salinity matrix described earlier.

Collection activities.

Collection efforts by SERI researchers in 1985 again focused on shallow inland saline habitats. This time collecting trips were also made to New Mexico and Nebraska, in addition to Colorado and Utah. Eighty-six sites were sampled during the year, 53 of which were sampled in the spring. From these 53 sites, 17 promising strains were isolated. An analysis was conducted comparing the results of the new protocol with those that would have resulted from the protocol used in prior years. This analysis indicated that the revised protocol was in fact superior to the older protocol. For example, only six of the 17 strains selected via the new protocol would also have been selected using the old protocol. Only three of the 17 strains grew best in the artificial medium type that most closely resembled the collection site water; in fact, only six strains were even considered to grow well in the collection site water relative to growth in at least one of the artificial medium. This analysis clearly indicated the value of performing the initial screening and enrichment in a variety of relevant media. The results suggest that the shallow saline environments sampled probably contain a large number of species whose metabolism is arrested at any given time. In other words, the water quality of such sites varies greatly, depending on precipitation and evaporation, so probably only a few of the many species present are actively growing at any given time. This also may explain the wide range of salinities and temperatures tolerated by many of these strains.