Title: The Culture and Biochemical Analysis of Some Estuarine Phytoplankton Species Abstract Approved:

The biochemical composition of ten species of estuarine phyto-plankton was determined. Studies were made of their growth in various culture media and of their relative value as food for oyster larvae. Nine of the species were isolated from Yaquina Bay, Oregon. An attempt was made to select species which commonly occurred in the phytoplankton of the bay. The tenth species, Isochrysis galbana, was obtained from the Culture Collection of Algae at Indiana Univer-sity. The ten organisms comprised three species of Chlorophyta, one species of Cryptophyta, and six species of Chrysophyta. The relative value of each species as food was determined using larvae of European and native oysters. Determinations were based on the mean length of larvae at the end of the feeding period. Isochrysis, known to be an excellent food source, was used as a standard for comparison with the Yaquina Bay isolates. Redacted for Privac