The ASW culture collection of algae (University of Vienna) was founded in 1959, when a few strains of cyanobacteria were assigned for teaching. At this time, Prof. O. KIERMAYER donated some desmids to the institute, which were included into the collection. The mayor part of the strains were isolated by Prof. KUSEL-FETZMANN during her investigations in the last 40 years. Many euglenoids, chlorophyceae and cyanobacteria originate from Lake Neusiedlersee situated at the Austrian-hungarian border in the eastern part of Austria (KUSEL-FETZMANN 1974). Other strains were gathered from soil, bogs, ponds, lakes, backwaters and rivers. Of special interest are cultures which were isolated from samples collected in the course of study tours in the northern hemisphere. The ASW culture collection of algae comprises strains from freshwater habitats, priorities are set up on Euglenophyceae, Chlorophyceae (Volvocales, Chlorococcales) and Charophyceae (Desmidiaceae (KUSEL-FETZMANN & SCHAGERL 1992).

Increasingly, strains of the ASW culture collection of algae are drawn upon master-, doctoral theses and scientific projects. Besides physiological basic research (eg. nitrogen fixation in cyanobacteria, pigment patterns in different algal classes) genetic analyses in combination with morphological and chemical data are coming to the fore.

Nowadays, the ASW culture collection of algae includes 500 strains (a list is provided on request). The strains are not bacteria-free, which has many advantages in cultivation. Many strains are clonal which is indicated in the list of strains and are therefore suitable for genetic investigations. For teaching and research purposes original ASW cultures can be ordered at cost-price. The price is Euro 15.00 per culture, plus postage expenses. Usually, orders will be dispatched within 4 weeks. Cultures should be unpacked immediately after receipt and stored at around 20°C under dim light conditions (no direct sunlight). When using a strain from the ASW culture collection of algae, the customer agrees to quote the collection acronym ASW and the strain number in published papers.