Sanger sequencing of Chlorella vulgaris associated prokaryotic diversity

Microalgae exhibit extensive potential as a novel means of counteracting imminent challenges in the food, biomaterials, and pharmaceutical sectors facing the potential problems associated with the projected increase in the global population. Microbial communities can hamper microalgae biomass production but also have the potential to foster biomass productivity. By combining amplicon-sequencing and culture-based Sanger sequencing, we investigate eukaryotic and prokaryotic communities within Chlorella vulgaris cultures to identify the effects of selected cultivation conditions on the cultures. Across three cultivation systems, we identify 7 eukaryotic and 53 prokaryotic zero-radius operational taxonomic units. Chlorella vulgaris is associated with a selected prokaryotic and eukaryotic community identified across all cultivations investigated. Long-term coexistence of C. vulgaris with eukaryotic and prokaryotic taxa could provide evidence for a relationship based on specific functional traits. Cocultivation of C. vulgaris with selected eukaryotic and prokaryotic taxa could improve the economic feasibility of microalgae production by reducing cultivation costs.