Previous work has shown freshwater macrophytes from lake littoral zones to be "C-enriched compared to the same species collected from fast movlng nvers It is thought that carbon fixation In aquatic plants having thicker, stagnant boundary layers, such as that w h ~ c h occurs withln low turbulence lentic systems, will result in more positive F' 'C values due to greater d~ffusion resistance and ...

Algal biofuels are investigated as a promising alternative to petroleum fuel sources to satisfy transportation demand. Despite the high growth rate of algae, predation by rotifers, ciliates, golden algae, and other predators will cause an algae in open ponds to crash. In this study, Chlorella kessleri was used as a model alga and the freshwater rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus, as a model preda...

The origin of the photosynthetic organelle in eukaryotes, the plastid, changed forever the evolutionary trajectory of life on our planet. Plastids are highly specialized compartments derived from a putative single cyanobacterial primary endosymbiosis that occurred in the common ancestor of the supergroup Archaeplastida that comprises the Viridiplantae (green algae and plants), red algae, and gl...

Algae are an attractive energy source, but important questions still exist about the sustainability of this technology on a large scale. Two particularly important questions concern the method of cultivation and the type of algae to be used. This present study combines elements of life cycle analysis (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) to evaluate open pond (OP) systems and horizontal tubular ph...

Harnessing solar energy to grow algal biomass on wastewater nutrients could provide a holistic solution to nutrient management problems on dairy farms. The production of algae from a portion of manure nutrients to replace high-protein feed supplements which are often imported (along with considerable nutrients) onto the farm could potentially link consumption and supply of on-farm nutrients. Th...

Rapid growth could significantly reduce methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic organisms by causing a greater than proportional gain in biomass relative to MeHg (somatic growth dilution). We hypothesized that rapid growth from the consumption of high-quality algae, defined by algal nutrient stoichiometry, reduces MeHg concentrations in zooplankton, a major source of MeHg for lake fish. ...

It is one hundred years since ‘the late G.I. Playfair, Australia’s foremost student of freshwater algae’ died, in Tauranga, New Zealand, but the value his collection, and descriptions many photosynthetic organisms from South Wales, current growing.

Lake ecosystems across the globe have responded to climate warming of recent decades and are expected to further change in the future. Anticipating impacts that are detrimental to water quality is critically important given that lakes constitute a major part of the earth’s freshwater resources. A central concern is the climate impact on phytoplankton, including algae and cyanobacteria, since it...