NERC National Capability commissioning of the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP)

The Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP) is a facility which collects, isolates, and maintains biological specimens, similar to a botanical garden but with algae and protozoa instead of plants. CCAP is based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, in Oban, on the west coast of Scotland. CCAP maintains over 3,000 different types of microalgae, seaweed, cyanobacteria and protozoa (single-celled organisms like amoebae). These organisms have been isolated from all over the world and from a huge range of environments, including freshwater and marine ecosystems, from deserts through to polar regions. CCAP organisms have been collected through recent history, with our oldest culture being isolated in 1890. This means that CCAP is like a time-capsule, meaning that it can protect and conserve organisms in a changing environment. With a huge number of different organisms, collected through time, CCAP is one of the oldest, largest, and the most biodiverse collections of algae and protozoa in the world. Algae and protozoa are incredibly important. They are ancient organisms and found everywhere! Learning about their history and relatedness is key to furthering our understanding of evolution and may unlock many answers within the taxonomic tree of life. Many of them are photosynthetic, with algae responsible for producing most of the oxygen that we breathe. They form the bases of food webs and are fundamental in the transfer of energy and nutrients in ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. Algae have a huge number of uses, too. They can clean polluted water, be a source of energy, provide food (directly or indirectly), as a fertiliser, used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and even for the production of biodegradable plastics for clothes, building, and packaging materials. Funding awarded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) allows CCAP to continue to perform a range of important functions. NERC support ensures that CCAP can continue looking after these organisms and help preserve biodiversity. Funding allows CCAP to better understand the organisms that we look after, by microscopic observation, taxonomy, and DNA analysis. CCAP are committed to equality, inclusivity and educating others, including the next generation of scientists, through the organisation of training courses and providing free access to all our knowledge. Support enables NERC scientists, and others across the globe, to access the CCAP facility and the organisms that we look after. This is essential for understanding and solving global issues, such as impact of climate change, progress towards Net Zero carbon emissions, fundamental human requirements for clean water, sustainable energy, and food security. All things considered, continuing support of CCAP is a key component in NERC being able to fulfil their mission of developing a world-class level of infrastructure; a platform from which to perform cutting-edge environmental science, to ultimately enable sustainable ecosystem services.