The major pigment composition of different strains of Oscillatoria (Cyanophyta) recorded in vivo by a modified Shibata technique

The pigmentation of five strains of Oscillatoria bornetii and four strains of Oscillatoria agardhii/rubescens were surveyed in vivo by spectrophotometry. The O. bornetii strains are very homogeneous with regard to qualitative pigment composition, but strain differences with regard to relative pigment content are remarkable. The O. agardhii/rubescens complex is variable, especially with regard to phycoerythrin content. In vivo pigment techniques may be promising as an additional, simple tool in blue–green algal taxonomy.