Imaging flow cytometry for phytoplankton analysis

[Display omitted] •Imaging flow cytometry embraces various applications for phytoplankton analysis.•IFC combines power of flow cytometry and microscopy useful for phytoplankton study.•Available IFC instrumentation are variably exploited for different applications.•Examples of phytoplankton viability and metabolic analysis using IFC are presented. This review highlights the concepts and instrumentation of imaging flow cytometry technology and in particular its use for phytoplankton analysis. Imaging flow cytometry, a hybrid technology combining speed and statistical capabilities of flow cytometry with imaging features of microscopy, is rapidly advancing as a cell imaging platform that overcomes many of the limitations of current techniques and contributed significantly to the advancement of phytoplankton analysis in recent years. This review presents the various instrumentation relevant to the field and currently used for assessment of complex phytoplankton communities’ composition and abundance, size structure determination, biovolume estimation, detection of harmful algal bloom species, evaluation of viability and metabolic activity and other applications. Also we present our data on viability and metabolic assessment of Aphanizomenon sp. cyanobacteria using Imagestream X Mark II imaging cytometer. Herein, we highlight the immense potential of imaging flow cytometry for microalgal research, but also discuss limitations and future developments.