Domaizon et al. BMC Microbiology 2012, 12:202 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/12/202

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Open Access

Short-term responses of unicellular planktonic eukaryotes to increases in temperature and UVB radiation Isabelle Domaizon1*, Cécile Lepère2, Didier Debroas2, Marc Bouvy3, Jean Francois Ghiglione4, Stephan Jacquet1, Yvan Bettarel3, Corinne Bouvier3, Jean Pascal Torréton3, Francesca Vidussi3, Behzad Mostajir3, Amy Kirkham1, Emilie LeFloc’h3, Eric Fouilland3, Helene Montanié5 and Thierry Bouvier3

Abstract Background: Small size eukaryotes play a fundamental role in the functioning of coastal ecosystems, however, the way in which these micro-organisms respond to combined effects of water temperature, UVB radiations (UVBR) and nutrient availability is still poorly investigated. Results: We coupled molecular tools (18S rRNA gene sequencing and fingerprinting) with microscope-based identification and counting to experimentally investigate the short-term responses of small eukaryotes (