What do algae need to survive

Runoff from fertilizers applied to agricultural fields, golf courses, and suburban lawns; deposition of nitrogen from the atmosphere; erosion of soil containing nutrients; and discharge from aquaculture facilities and sewage treatment plants are increasing the nutrient content in coastal waters and consequently increasing the size and longevity of algal blooms.

This process of nutrient loading is known as eutrophication. Algal blooms can disrupt normal functioning of marine ecosystems, causing a variety of problems such as depletion of the oxygen in the water that fish and shellfish need to survive.

Certain species of marine algae produce harmful blooms, known as red or brown tides, which can be toxic to both marine animals and humans. In Part A of this investigation, you will grow your own algal bloom and test the effects various nutrients and other water qualities have on the occurrence and intensity of algal blooms. However, certain features unite them, while distinguishing them from the other major group of photosynthetic organisms: the land plants.

Primarily, algae are not highly differentiated in the way that plants are, according to the authors of " Algae: Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology, 2nd Ed. That is to say, they lack true roots, stems and leaves, and a vascular system to circulate water and nutrients throughout their bodies. Second, many algae are unicellular, according to a article published in the journal Current Biology.

They also occur in a variety of forms and sizes. They can exist as single, microscopic cells; they can be macroscopic and multicellular; live in colonies; or take on a leafy appearance as in the case of seaweeds such as giant kelp. Picoplankton are between 0. Lastly, algae are found in a range of aquatic habitats, both freshwater and saltwater. By virtue of these characteristics, the general term "algae" includes prokaryotic organisms — cyanobacteria , also known as blue-green algae — as well as eukaryotic organisms all other algal species.

These early cyanobacteria were engulfed by primitive plants cells sometime in the late Proterozoic, or in the early Cambrian period, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Prokaryotes include bacteria and archaea. They are simpler organisms without an organized cell structure and their DNA floats freely as a tangled mass within the cytoplasm. On the other hand, eukaryotes are all other living organisms: protists , plants, fungi What Are Protists?

Their cells are more organized. They have structures called organelles to execute a range of cellular functions and their DNA is housed in a central compartment called the nucleus. The majority of algae live in aquatic habitats Current Biology, Yet, the word "aquatic" is almost limited in its ability to encompass the diversity of these habitats.

These organisms can thrive in freshwater lakes or in saltwater oceans. They can also endure a range of temperatures, oxygen or carbon dioxide concentrations, acidity and turbidity. For example, giant kelp are found more than meters below the polar ice sheets, according to "Algae," while the unicellular green algal species Dunaliella salina is found in very salty, or hypersaline, environments such as the Dead Sea, according to a review article published in the journal Saline Systems.

Free-floating, mostly unicellular algae that live within illuminated regions of water are known as planktonic. Those that adhere to surfaces are known as benthic algae. Such algae grow on mud, stones, other algae and plants, or animals, according to "Algae.

Algae are also able to survive on land. Some unexpected places where they grow are tree trunks, animal fur, snow banks, hot springs according to "Algae" and in soil, including desert crusts Current Biology, Mostly, algae live independently in their various growth forms single cells, colonies, etc.

Genome sequencing has found algae in four different kingdoms: Plantae, Chromista, Protista, and Bacteria. Algae can be unicellular or as large as a tree like the giant sea kelp. Algae are typically photosynthetic, meaning they need carbon dioxide and sunlight to grow — just like plants. The U. Algae accumulate oils that, when extracted, can be converted into renewable fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

Some algae accumulate starches which can be transformed into sugars for conversion into ethanol. Petroleum is actually, in simple terms, ancient algae subjected to high heat and pressure over millions of years. DOE-funded researchers are working to recreate this natural process in the laboratory.

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