Long‐term Maintenance of Fertile Algal Clones: Experience Withpandorina(chlorophyceae)1,2

SUMMARY There is a need for simple, inexpensive methods to maintain algal clones of constant genotype over long periods of time.Pandorinazygospores survive many environmental rigors which destroy the vegetative cells. The zygospores are the preferable from for storage of the alga and remain viable for at least 15 yr. storage procedures and germination techniques are described for zygospores of 2 species. These are compared with reports in the literature concerning other algal genera. General procedures for storage and maintenance of both vegetative cells and spores are proposed.