Shake it easy: a gently mixed continuous culture system for dinoflagellates

An important requirement for continuous cultures is a homogeneous distribution of resources and microorganisms, often achieved by rigorous mixing. Many dinoflagellate species are known to be vulnerable to turbulence. Here, we present a newly developed continuous culture system based on gentle mixing in which the two dinoflagellate species Scrippsiella trochoidea and Alexandrium tamarense, with different turbulence sensitivities, grew well under steady state conditions. We also show that the continuous culture system can be applied at low nutrient conditions and low population densities.