A new thermal gradient device for culturing algae

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Abstract
A temperature gradient plate was constructed for use in culturing marine and freshwater microalgae. The apparatus can be used to study the effect of temperature and its interaction with other variables on the growth, reproduction and physiology of many aquatic organisms. In the present apparatus a constant temperature gradient from 0–40°C was produced along the length of a 1 m × 1 m × 1·25 cm aluminum plate by heating one end of the plate with a heating element and cooling the opposite end with a standard refrigeration evaporator. Variations from mean temperatures along a transect at right angles to the gradient were less than 1·5°C. The temperature gradient device discussed here is easy to build, has a low cost compared to devices previously described and requires little maintenance.