II. A.2.a. Introduction

Included in this section are summaries of the research conducted by various subcontractors within the ASP who contributed to the collection, screening, and characterization of microalgal strains for potential use in biofuel production facilities. Initially, a variety of strain isolation and screening procedures were carried out by the various research groups, as there was no established protocol. This lack of uniformity in the screening protocols made comparing the results from one laboratory with those of another difficult, and meant that the criteria for selecting the best strains differed between the laboratories. At the same time, however, this arrangement provided the opportunity for new ideas regarding collecting and screening to be pursued, thereby allowing individual creativity in a manner that might be beneficial to the entire program.

Several subcontractors participated in the strain collection and screening effort. Dr. Bill Thomas and colleagues (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) collected a large number of strains from the desert regions of eastern California and western Nevada. Additional microalgal strains from desert waters in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, and Texas were obtained through the efforts of Dr. Milt Sommerfeld’s laboratory at Arizona State University. Dr. Mahasin T adros (Alabama A&M University) collected strains habitats in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida). Additional strains from the Florida Keys and Everglades were collected by John Rhyther (Harbor Branch Foundation); Richard York (Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology) isolated a number of strains from the Hawaiian islands and surrounding waters. Certain environmental niches were focused on as well; Dr. Keith Cooksey (Montana State University) isolated several strains from thermal springs in Yellowstone National

Park; Dr. Ralph Lewin (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) focused on picopleustonic algae (“floating” algae at the air-sea interface). The results of these efforts are described below.