Algal Mats Research

Researchers are still determining what may have caused its overgrowth.

Algal mats research. As bubbles of oxygen from photosynthesis accumulate in these submerged mats clumps of algae will break loose and float to the surface. Role of algal mats in carbon cycling. Algal research is an international phycology journal covering all areas of emerging technologies in algae biology biomass production cultivation harvesting extraction bioproducts biorefinery engineering and econometrics. Research diver pulls back a chondria tumulosa algal mat to reveal a coral s skeleton.

Algae mats and floating clumps are unsightly and create problems for anglers by fouling hooks. Formation occurs when alternating layers of blue green bacteria and sediments are deposited or grow in place creating dark laminated layers. Algal mats are composed of algae bacteria and fungi embedded within a matrix of mucilage and detritus. Algal mats dominated by cyanobacteria for example can attain very high biomass and persist for extended periods without sloughing peterson and grimm 1992 presumably because many species within this group can grow heterotrophically see tuchman chapter 10 fix atmospheric nitrogen and engage in anoxygenic photosynthesis lee 1980.

Algal mats are one of many types of microbial mat that forms on the surface of water or rocks. Algae grow in a submerged mat over the pond bottom especially in shallow areas figures 16 and 17. When the advanced algal systems team at the bioenergy technologies office beto led by technical manager daniel fishman last caught up with this group of researchers based at the university of california san diego ucsd including this blog s co author professor michael burkart they were making waves literally with the world s first algae based surfboard. Algae is defined to include cyanobacteria microalgae macroalgae and protists and symbionts of interest in.

Possibilities include a removal of grazing pressure or an excess of nutrients from upwelling. They are typically composed of blue green cyanobacteria and sediments. Taylor williams university of hawai i. They examined aerial photographs dating from the 1930s to the present and found that algal mats on the marsh have increased dramatically during the 85 year period.

To determine whether algal blooms at elkhorn slough were natural or the result of human activities the research team did some historical detective work. Lee hannah in climate change biology second edition 2015.