BIO

Harper West is a freshman Presidential Scholar at Florida State University majoring in History and Environment & Society. Through the intersection of these two majors, she is interested in the field of environmental policy and hopes to practice environmental law. She has research interests in both the sciences and the humanities to observe both the natural landscape and its interaction with humans.

Observing the Optimal Salinity Level for Algae Survival

Abstract

Oysters are filter feeders, which means they derive their nutrients from phytoplankton or algae by filtering through ocean water. Algae have varying survival rates dependent upon abiotic factors in the environment, such as water temperature and salinity. In this study, we will observe the optimal salinity level for algae (the salinity level at which the most algae survive) in order to determine what salinity level is best for oysters to feed at. In future experiments, this knowledge of the best salinity level for algae survival will help reduce salinity as an extraneous variable when experimenting with oysters, since the salinity at which their food is most abundant will be known. To determine this, lab-grown algae will be diluted into seawater samples of varying salinity levels. Individual cell counts of the algae will be taken with a digital automatic cell counter at multiple periods over the course of 24 hours. By the end of the testing period, the salinity level with the highest algae cell count (ppm) will be determined as the optimal salinity level for the survival of the lab-grown algae. These results will be crucial for use in future experiments involving oysters, such as determining feeding patterns of oyster predators and measuring the optimal salinity level for juvenile oyster growth.

Keywords: salinity regime, algae survival, marine biology