Zaring EBIO 4100 Winter Ecology Spring 2015 CU Mountain Research Station Algae In Freshwater Winter Streams Algae are single or multi c ellular organisms that provide food and o ID: 474369
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Nicholas ZaringEBIO 4100 Winter EcologySpring 2015CU Mountain ResearchStation
Algae In Freshwater Winter Streams. Slide2
Algae are single or multi cellular organisms that provide food and oxygen
in aquatic communities.
Winter = more snow and less light…Algae (diatoms) are photosynthetic
organisms…
What happens to abundance?Further, streams move at different speeds depending on location. What happens to abundance with the added pressure of stream speed?
Winter Algae
PinnulariaSlide3
Hypothesis: In Como Creek, algae abundance will be different in fast and slow moving streams as a consequence of water speed and its effect on attachment to substrate.Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference in algae abundance in Como Creek when comparing fast and slow moving streams.
Hypothesis & PredictionsSlide4
Frustilia
-
R- selected
-“
Bloom and Bust” lifestyle, dependent on nutrients and season.
-Mixing in upper layer -Settling in lower layer
-Chlorophyll a+c, fucoxanthin
, and a light brown/golden color.
Diatoms! Slide5
Chlorophyta (green algae)Contains Chlorophyll BSlide6
A comparison of abundance using weight as a measure of mass, and microscopy as an indication of organisms present.
At 2 different locations of Como Creek…Slow Portion = 4 samples each location
Fast Portion = 4 samples each locationRepeated on two different days, for a total of 16 samples in Como Creek.
MethodsSlide7
The blue cap was used to isolate a
consistent
amount of algae on similar sized rocks.
After scrubbing around the cap, the algae under the cap was collected in test tubes and brought back for analysis.
Back at the station, the algae was filtered out, weighed, and observed through microscopy to document organisms present.Slide8
Comparison to other streams in the area?Methods of measurement, weight includes other materials due to scrubbing the rocks.
Rock size varies,
non-bias selection of rocks might provide different results.
Snow cover on the creek was not able to be added as a variable.
Limitations…Slide9
Data
P=.017Slide10
Data
P=.012Slide11
Diatoms are more abundant in slow moving areas of Como Creek.Frustilia, a Diatom, makes up the majority of Algae found in Como Creek.Data analysis produced p values indicating that there is a significant difference between algae abundance in slow vs. fast moving areas of Como Creek.
ResultsSlide12
SOME diatoms can move depending on light/nutrient needs. Frustilia is not one of these.Only ONE type of diatom found in my experiments has adaptations that allow it to better attach itself to substrate, Encyonema. One big implication, diatoms
do not “choose” to live in a location, and their abundance
is dictated by the flow of water.
DiscussionSlide13
Abundance is greater in slower moving streams, so what?A supported hypothesis that refutes the null.…current also exerts a shear stress on benthic algae, which can cause cell sloughing, and high flows disturb and scour the substrate. (Allan/Castillo 2007)Low stress can allow build up of diatoms on a substrate, while high stress wipes them clean and sends them elsewhere
. If encyonema can attach to a substrate, and is not abundant,
frustilia abundance is most probably a consequence of water flow.But, it leads to more questions!
Discussion
(continued)Slide14
There is a difference abundance of algae in Como Creek, dependent on stream speed.Frustilia is very abundant in Como Creek.More experiments should be done to determine how exactly these diatoms are affected by stream speed.Would abundance change in summer?Would species present change in summer?Given that the data suggest diatom abundance reliant on speed of creek, would
it have mattered if there was snow cover?
Summary Slide15
Dr. Sarah Spaulding – U.S. Geological Survey/INSTAAR – any and all diatom questions.Derek Sweeney - logistics/experimental equipment.Professor T. Kittel – data/experiment analysis.Algae
description and types. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://
www.lenntech.com/eutrophication-water-bodies/algae.htmAllan, J., & Castillo, M. (2007). Stream ecology: Structure and function of running waters (2nd ed.). Dordrecht: Springer.
Chapter
6: Periphyton Protocols. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://water.epa.gov/scitech/monitoring/rsl/bioassessment/ch06main.cfm
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://botany.si.edu
/projects/algae/introduction.htmAcknowledgements/ Works CitedSlide16
Euglenophyta(hetero
AND autotrophic)Chlorophyll BSlide17
Rhodophyta (red algae)Includes types of seaweedSlide18
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)Hypothesized to have changed the Earth millions of years ago by being initial O2 producers…Slide19
Phaeophyta (brown algae)Includes types of seaweed + kelp
Contains fucoxanthin Slide20
Dinoflagellata (marine plankton)Golden Brown - contain fucoxanthin
pigment, but can cause red
tide.
Bioluminescence…Slide21
Chrysophyta (golden algae)
Contain fucoxanthin
pigment