Chlorella autotrophica

Chlorella autotrophica, or Chlorella sp. (580), is a species of euryhaline, unicellular microalga in the Division Chlorophyta. It is found in brackish waters and was first isolated in 1956 by Ralph A. Lewin.^[1] The species is defined by its inability to use organic carbon as a food source, making the species an obligate autotroph.^[2] It is sometimes considered a variety of Chlorella vulgaris.^[3]

Chlorella autotrophica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Chlorophyta
Class:	Trebouxiophyceae
Order:	Chlorellales
Family:	Chlorellaceae
Genus:	Chlorella
Species:	C. autotrophica
Binomial name
Chlorella autotrophica Shihira & R.W.Krauss

Uses

C. autotrophica has many uses. The species has been used as a feedstock for rearing bivalves and fry in aquaculture^[4] and as source of the amino acid L-Proline.^[5][6] German and Russian scientists investigated the possibility of using the species as a food source for astronauts.^[7][8] The algal species is also a candidate feedstock for biodiesel production due to its ability to accumulate triglycerides under nitrogen limitation.^{[citation needed]}