Evaluation of the Primary Photosynthesis Reactions in Microalgae Single Cell by the Microfluorimetric Method

High-resolution chlorophyll fluorescence light induction curves (OJIP transients) are widely used to assess the primary photosynthetic responses of phototrophic cells. Chlorophyll fluorescence measuring methods coupled with microscopy techniques provide a promising opportunity to measure OJIP transients on individual algae cells, allowing scientists to investigate stress adaptation mechanisms related to reorganization of the microalgae population or the phytoplankton community. In this work, the authors first characterized the OJIP transients measured on individual algae cells using the original microfluorimeter and compared them with OJIP transients recorded in microalgae suspensions. Based on the results of the study, a method is proposed for analyzing OJIP curves of individual microalgae cells and ways to further improve microfluorimeters.