Algae

September 20—What have you learned about algae this week?  How do the various species of algae help in determining water quality?  Include 3 pictures of different algae species and 2 facts about each one.

I have learned multiple different types of algae this week, the certain smells that they can produce, which algae's can be found and what they indicate about the water quality and their specific looks. 

Clean water will have a low population of algae but a high diversity of types of algae. More polluted water is the opposite, with high populations of algae and a low diversity rate.


Volvox :
- 500 + cells
- reproduce by forming daughter cells
- blooms in fish hatcheries can damage gills of young fish
- fishy odor


Staurastrum: 
- spikes increase surface area and improve the ability to float
- grassy odor
-blooms create odor issue in drinking water


Anabaena:
- pig pen odor
- odor due to death/decay of algae cells
- chain of mardi-gras beads or tiny grapes
 - even a small population can cause a smell
- blue-green algae/cyanobacterium
- can fix it's own nitrogen
- produces toxins
- blooms kill live stock, fish kills, and can cause skin rashes in humans that swim in water with this type of algae.