Fig. 2: Plate type comparison.

Growth and photopigment production in Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 were compared between and across 3 black-well and 3 clear-well 384-well microplates. A Growth in black-well plates is slightly delayed in comparison to clear-well plates but reaches comparable OD₇₅₀ values after approximately 72 h. Growth rates in clear plates were relatively constant over the 8-day cultivation experiment, whereas growth rates peaked in black plates after 3 days of cultivation. Each point represents a median of 384 values across a single microplate. B To compare growth rates across a plate, plates were divided into 8 sections, based on location on the plate. These sections will be used for downstream evaluation of growth rate and photopigment production across the microplate. C Variability in OD₇₅₀ values by plate section at T3 and T5. D Density plots at T5 show the lower distribution of OD₇₅₀ values in section 1 in black-well plates and the positive skew of OD₇₅₀ values in clear-well plates. E Relative Chlorophyll a (444 nm) and carotenoid (495 nm) absorbance are significantly lower in black-well plates. Phycocyanin (634 nm) absorbance follows a similar trend in black- and clear-well plates. Each point represents a median of 384 values across a single microplate. F Relative photopigment fluorescence at T5 stays consistent across individual black- and clear-well microplates but with significantly more variability in the clear-well plate. This increase in the number of low outliers mirrors the high outliers observed in OD₇₅₀ values in clear-well plates.