1. Fresh Pond Reservation:
Eyes on Algae
Julie Coffey
Watershed Management Assistant

2. Tonight’s objectives:
• Understand the importance of algae
• Learn how the Cambridge Water Department
is monitoring algae
• Discover some common genera of algae and
learn identifying features

3. What are algae?
Algae is a BROAD term, from diatoms to kelp:
Some resemble plants…
Others bacteria…
Still others protists…

4. Algae, A Brief History:
3.5 Billion Years
Ago

5. A group of aquatic,
photosynthetic,
eukaryotic organisms
ranging from
unicellular to
multicellular and
generally possessing
chlorophyll but
lacking true roots,
stems, or leaves.
Algae, Defined:

6. Classification:
• Cell wall composition
• Motile or non-motile
• Colonial or individual
• Pigmentation

7. Plankton
“Plankton” from the Greek
word planktos
Haloplankton-always present
as plankton
Meroplankton-have resting
stages in the sediment

8. Habitat
• Freshwater ecosystems
• Saltwater ecosystems
• Soils
• Hot springs
• Moss/Lichens
• Turtle carapaces, fur of the 3-toed sloth

10. Epibionts:
Gomphonema

11. •Size as defense
•Resource sharing
•Cell differentiation:
reproduction
•Improved
mobility/reduced sinking
Colonial Algae:

12. Importance of Algae: Oxygen
Oxygen Chlorophyll

13. Importance of Algae: Fisheries
In 2011:
$200 billion generated
$433 million in Massachusetts
1.7 million jobs
Phytoplankton as primary producers!

16. Importance of Algae: Fossil Fuels
Oceanic oil deposits
Biofuel potential

17. Diatoms
• Golden-brown algae
• Cell walls made up
of Silica
– Strong influence on
function
• 25% Global Net
Primary Productivity

18. Diatomite
Silica deposits from diatoms used in:
• Filtration for beer/wine, pools
• Industrial absorbents
• Grit in toothpaste
• Road paint

19. Blue-green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
Photosynthesizing bacteria
• Pioneered photosynthesis,
sexual reproduction, urea cycles
• Vertical regulation: gas vacuoles
and metabolism (stratification)

20. Why We Care About Algae:
 Water Quality
 Indication of
watershed health
 Community baseline
( and they’re really fun to look at...)

21. Preventing Algal Blooms
Causes:
Nutrient loading (N,P)
Eutrophication
Temperature (growth rate)
Effects:
Shading/competition
Oxygen depletion
Presence of Cyanotoxins

22. CWD Algae Monitoring Program
• Volunteer monitoring in
Black’s Nook and Little
Fresh Pond since 2003
• Chl-a samples from
reservoirs
12/18/2004, LFP
Phytoplankton Zooplankton
Asterionella Copepods
Pediastrum Cladocerans
Dinobryon Ostracods
Staurastrum

23. CWD Algae Program Goals
Weekly reservoir monitoring
–Identify and quantify populations
Continue reservation monitoring
–Analyze historical data for trends

24. Algae of Little Fresh Pond
Pediastrum, LFP, 1/12/15
Synura, LFP, 1/12/15
Staurastrum, 12/22/2014

25. Staurastrum, LFP
1/12/15
Crucigenia, LFP
1/12/15
Algae of Little Fresh Pond

26. Black’s Nook 11/17/2014
Scenedesmus
Mallomonas

27. Black’s Nook 11/24/2014
Ceratium:
golden algae, dinoflagellate, protozoan
Closterium, green algae
Centronella:
Diatom
Dinobryon:
golden-
algae,
diatom

28. Black’s Nook 12/29/2014
Fragilaria

29. Black’s Nook Pediastrum Species
Note: Pediastrum are
most often found in quiet
waters

30. Now on to the fun part…

31. Additional Resources
Glossary of algal terms: http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/glossary
Algae pictures for ID: http://www.keweenawalgae.mtu.edu/
Detailed species descriptions: http://algaebase.org/search/genus/
Credits:
Kelp-http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/events/department-news/983/paper-by-libe-washburn-selected-as-an-agu-research-spotlight/
Sloth-https://animalartsdesignstudio.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/biomimicry-and-the-sloth/
Diatomite-http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2006/3044/fs-2006-3044.pdf, http://elkorose.schopine.com/vivian.html
Black duck-http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/481/galleries/photos/RNB_American-Black-Duck-0007
Coyote-http://featheredphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/coyote-8829-ron-dudley.jpg
O2 production-https://scripps.ucsd.edu/biblio/algae-worlds-most-important-plants-introduction
Tree of life http://www.encognitive.com/node/10795
Cycle-Microbial control of the dark end of the biological pump, Herndl, G; Reinthaler,T
Herring: "Clupea harengus Gervais.flipped" by Gervais et Boulart, 1877 - flipped version of File:Clupea harengus Gervais.jpg - Les poissons Gervais,
H.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clupea_harengus_Gervais.flipped.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Clupea_harengus_Gervais.flipped.jpg
Bloom-http://www.clf.org/blog/tag/nutrient-pollution/
Algae age-http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanofr.html
Algal maps:http://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/plankton, world ocean atlas via wikipedia