Use of a modified glass-based dish for long-term observations of Coleochaete culture without dew condensation on the lid

Abstract

Insertion of a sheet of cover glass in the lid of a glass-based dish is a useful technique for observation by differential interference contrast microscopy. However, microscopic observations of algal cultures using this glass-based dish are often interfered with by dew condensation on the glass surface of the lid when the culture is incubated for a long time. To prevent dew development on the lid surface during incubation, we employed a glass-based dish whose inner surface of the glass-lid is coated with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine polymer. Using this modified dish, we could observe thalli development of Coleochaete scutata successively for four weeks without dew condensation on the lid.