Algal Affairs

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my experiment was to determine whether heat has an effect on the growth of algae. I hypothesized that warmer temperatures would cause more algae to grow in both freshwater and saltwater samples. Methods/Materials I did this by filling eight buckets with a liter of saltwater and eight with a liter of freshwater. Four freshwater and four saltwater buckets were placed inside on heating pads, and the rest were kept outside. Every day for seven days, I measured the temperature and the amount of algae in each bucket, and took photographs. To measure the amount of algae, I used a multimeter, a photo resistor, and a laser. Results I found that the highest growth rates occurred in warmer temperatures for freshwater algae and in colder temperatures for saltwater algae. Conclusions/Discussion My hypothesis was proven partially correct, algae in freshwater samples did grow more in a warmer environment. Saltwater algae, however, grew better in colder temperatures. One thing that could have caused this difference is the fact that lakes are constantly changing temperatures, so freshwater algae would be more adapted to varying temperature. Oceans, though, because of there size, have almost the same temperature all of the time. Algae from this source wouldn't be as used to different temperatures.

Awards (1)

• Category Award

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Microbiology · Entry J1317

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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