Abstract
The feasibility of using the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis to generate amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) ‘fingerprints’ was investigated. The isolates examined originate from a bloom in the North Atlantic and from various stages of a mesocosm experiment at the Marine Biological Field Station, University of Bergen, Norway. Preliminary evidence suggests that not all individuals within either natural or mesocosm blooms are genetically identical. AFLP fingerprinting offers the possibility of tracing genotypes during the development of blooms in the natural environment.