By: Kevin Costello Pittsburgh Central Catholic PJAS 2012 Grade 9

 Occurs when large quantities of nutrients enter an aquatic environment. Nutrients often come from fertilizer.  Possible causes: sewage, agricultural runoff, or animal wastes  Algal bloom: ◦ Consisting of:  patches of algae near the surface of the water  Light attenuation  light dependent organisms stressed, massive die offs, increased

 Large diverse group of simple and usually autotrophic organisms  Base of aquatic food chain  Used as a bio-indicator for aquatic environments

 Generally cylindrical in shape with many flagella  Common algal like protist  A partial heterotroph can attain food through endocytosis and photosynthesis  Nutrient-rich freshwater or in sewage systems  Capable of survival in both salt and water environments  Frequently employed as an experimental model

 Independently moving, unicellular, green, algae  Swims with its two flagella  Commonly found in fresh water and sometimes even in soil or in snow on mountain tops  Can grow on a simple medium of salts in the light, using photosynthesis to provide energy.

 To discern the effect(s) of nitrogen based fertilizer on the survivorship of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Euglena

 Null: The presence of fertilizer will NOT have a significant effect on algal growth.  Alternative: The presence of the fertilizer WILL significantly alter algal growth.

 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii  Euglena gracilis  Soil water (sterile)  Spring water  Miracle Grow® brand fertilizer  32 test tubes (13 x 100 mm borosilicate culture tubes)  Pipettes (macro + micro)  Pipette tips  Science Kit Educator spectrophotometer  Test tube rack  Desk lamp

1. A desk lamp was placed in experimental site a)approximately 45 centimeters away from the test tube racks b)Kept on a 12 hour on 12 hour off cycle c)Kept at 60 degrees °F throughout the duration of the study 2. Created a stock solution (assigned 100%) of fertilizer according to recommended application dose. Created the concentrations of 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% by mixing ingredients in borosilicate culture tubes as follows: 3. Tubes were mixed by inversion daily and readings were taken using a spectrophotometer set to wavelength of 430 nm once a day on days 1-10

0%5%10%20% Algae2mL Soil Water1mL Spring Water2mL1.9mL1.5mL1mL Fertilizer0mL0.1mL0.5mL1mL Total5mL

P value: 1.44E-21

 Was the algae significantly affected by the presence of fertilizer in it’s environment? ◦ Chlamydomonas reinhardtii  P value: 9.04E-05 SIGNIFICANT ◦ Euglena gracilis  P value: 1.44E-21 SIGNIFICANT

Variable Concentration T ValueInterpretation 5% Miracle Grow® 8.61Significant 10% Miracle Grow® 10.92Significant 20% Miracle Grow® 13.49Significant T Critical = 3.29 (significant) Alpha = 0.05

Variable Concentration T ValueInterpretation 5% Miracle Grow® 8.93Significant 10% Miracle Grow® 18.15Significant 20% Miracle Grow® 32.06Significant T Critical = 3.29 (significant) Alpha = 0.05

 The ANOVA stat analysis allowed the null hypothesis to be REJECTED  The Dunnett’s test showed that all concentrations of fertilizer SIGNIFICANTLY affected algal growth

 Limitations ◦ Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Euglena gracilis not fresh, 2 day travel time. ◦ Cultures not mono-culture ◦ Algal health and longevity might vary  Extensions ◦ Use more diverse groups of algae ◦ Use a higher concentration of the fertilizer ◦ Cell counts with hemacytometer ◦ Use different kinds fertilizer  Both organic and non-organic  Synergistic effects of agents?

 cation.aspx  ng-facts-euglena.html ng-facts-euglena.html  /microalg/euglenaf/euglena.html /microalg/euglenaf/euglena.html  