Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Benjamin Alboucrek and I am from Pompano Beach, Florida. I am a Clinical Professions major in my Sophomore year and my goal is to go to medical school. Some of my research interests include medically related topics such as potential treatments for diseases, cancer, and mental issues. Additionally, I am also interested in research topics related to climate change.

Light and Iron Effects on the Ecophysiology of Southern Ocean Phytoplankton

Abstract

The Southern Ocean is characterized as being one of the most productive oceanic regions in the world. However, certain areas in the Southern Ocean are characterized as being limited by the macronutrient Fe. As the climate continues to change, the availability of light and Fe are expected to change. In order to understand the effects that these changes will have on phytoplankton, we did our study on the species of Antarctic phytoplankton Thalassiosira Antarctica. We grew our species under different treatments, each with different iron concentrations and different light conditions. The treatments that the phytoplankton were grown in had similar conditions to the Southern Ocean as well. The results of the experiment showed us that Fe amounts had much more of an effect on the phytoplankton growth rates than light did. We also measured photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) of our phytoplankton populations. Under Fe depleted populations, the photochemical efficiency was much lower than populations with high Fe. Light had little effect compared to Fe on photochemical efficiency. The results of our experiment showed us that Fe is a necessity for phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean.

Keywords: Climate, Ocean, CO2