Culture Collection of Algae & Protozoa (CCAP)
Darwin Biological is proud to be partnered with the Culture Collection of Algae & Protozoa (CCAP) with the specific aim of increasing the range of organisms that students in UK schools have access to study. We offer a curated range of specimens that cover a wide range of taxonomies, from the classic Scenedesmus quadricauda (popular for algal balls) through to the bioluminescent Pyrocystis lunula and protozoa Amoeba borokensis.
All cultures are supplied in 30ml quantities and are for school use only. If you are a university or commercial operation please contact the CCAP directly.
About CCAP
The Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP) is a Biological Resource Centre located within the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) campus near Oban on the scenic west coast of Scotland. CCAP is supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation, as a National Capability service.
The CCAP supports researchers and businesses across the world with knowledge about the taxonomy and cultivation of algae and protozoa and provide starter cultures and growth media to a wide range of customers.
CCAP's Mission and Vision
Mission: To serve as a biological resource centre whose core activity is to access, maintain, characterise and distribute living cultures of marine and freshwater algae, cyanobacteria, protozoa, algal pathogens and related organisms; to provide taxonomy, technical and educational expertise, services and resources for culture isolation and curation to scientists, educators, researchers, and businesses worldwide; and to underpin research at SAMS.
Vision: CCAP will continue to be a recognised and trusted global leader in the provision of algae, protozoa and their associated organisms for academic research, educational institutions, businesses and commercial ventures, for the provision of training and related services. CCAP will be recognised for: First class customer service Outstanding intellectual capability; and World-leading online knowledge resources.
CCAP's History
The foundations of the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP) were laid by Professor Ernst Georg Pringsheim, who isolated a number of cultures at the Botanical Institute of the German University of Prague in the 1920s before moving to England where the collection was expanded. In 1970 these cultures formed the basis of the Culture Centre of Algae and Protozoa at Cambridge, financed by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). During 1986 the cultures and their associated activities were transferred to the Institute of Freshwater Ecology (IFE) Windermere Laboratory at Ambleside [freshwater algae and all protozoa] and Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (DML) at Oban [marine algae]. These moves represented a relocation of the Centre to the two Institutes both with long-standing and continuing research activities in phycology, protozoology and other aspects of aquatic science. As the collection was now held at two locations rather than a single centre, it was renamed the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, retaining the acronym CCAP.
In early 2004 the freshwater section of CCAP relocated to Scotland to join the marine section at the new Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) laboratory near Oban on the west coast. CCAP, united once again as a single collection, occupies a custom-designed facility within the European Centre for Marine Biotechnology at SAMS.
Information Sheets
For information about specific CCAP strains please see their website (link below) as well as individual product pages on our website.