Analyzing Microbial Diversity

Studying microbial diversity, growth, and selenium production can be undertaken with a spectroradiometer. SPECTRAL EVOLUTION’S spectroradiometers can be applied to a range of microbial diversity projects without requiring sample preparation or destruction. Measurements made in the VIS, VNIR and SWIR ranges can provide important information on microbial growth, diversity, and health.

For example, measuring radiation energy availability and variability in situ in sand flats, including incident radiation, reflectance by surface sand, and penetration through top layers to depths where phototropic bacteria make use of the sand filtered radiation can be done using an SR-1900 field spectroradiometer.

The spectroradiometer can be used to collect and interpret multispectral data in conditions between light and dark and dry and wet in an area of tidal fluctuations, without transferring samples to a lab. Our spectroradiometers can also be used effectively in lab settings, in a range of experiments, including:

• Determining pigment spectra from growing cultures without taking samples from the bottles
• Recording spectra of individual microbial colonies on agar plates
• Measuring selenium production by microbes without sample from tubes

SR-1900 SR-Series family of spectroradiometers, has a spectral range of 350-1900nm using a 512 element UV-enhanced silicon photodiode array and a 256-element extended InGaAs photodiode array.