The effects of laboratory evolution for improving algal biomass and lipid production are contingent on temperature

We address the possibility to obtain cold-adapted algal materials using the laboratory evolution approach. We conducted a long-term experimental evolution of the single-celled green microalgae<i> </i><i>Chlorella sorokiniana</i> at both a benign temperature (25℃) and a mildly cold temperature (15℃), implementing four artificial selection regimes: random selection, selection for high biomass, selection for high lipid content, and rotation between high-biomass and high-lipid selection.