Date of Submission

Spring 2018

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Biology

Project Advisor 1

Cathy Collins

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms are a worldwide problem that contribute to long term habitat disturbance and pose potential health and safety threats for both humans and natural ecosystems. Algal overgrowths, especially harmful algal blooms dominated by cyanobacteria, are rising in prominence because of climate change and are expected to continue appearing in areas with high volumes of nutrient runoff in coming years. This senior project is a two-part study with an observational and experimental component focusing on eutrophication, algal blooming, and bloom mitigation in a residential eutrophic pond. I assessed the condition of a small residential eutrophic pond to determine the nutrient concentrations and algal community composition. Using a mesocosm experiment, I then tested the effects of an algaecide treatment that is intended to control algal overgrowths by adding ‘beneficial bacteria’ that consume excess organic matter. Based on my surveys of the pond, the eutrophication in the pond is likely caused by a combination of internal and external loading, with nutrient storage occurring in the sediment and entering through the inlet. The algal communities of the pond were unique at varying depths and sites, with a total of 30 different morphotypes located throughout the pond. The ‘beneficial bacteria’ product was not found to be effective in the removal of cyanobacteria blooming and is not the recommended method of HAB management for this pond.

Open Access Agreement

On-Campus only

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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