Flow cytometry, wasfirst introduced in algal research in the 1980s, now a well-established tool for phytoplankton analysis. Combined with cell sorting capabilities, it is a critical instrument for aquatic ecology studies, particularly for discrimination of varios phytoplankton groups, detection of rare and small-sized phytoplankton, quantification of microalgal populatation/cell, monitoring of season dynamics, assessment of viability and fuctional cellular features. Undoubtedly, the most groundbreaking flow cytometric option is the capacity to sort distinct microalgal populations from a sample for various applicatons including cultivation, molecular analysis, group-specific biomass and eiemental composition evaluation. in spite of advantageous capability of flow