Investigating the basic requirement for the formation of an algal bloom

• Main Author: Otaki, Shun
• Other Authors: Marcos
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/166852
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In an attempt to better understand the mechanism of algal bloom, this paper will study the behavior of a unicellular algae, Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii (CR)’s phototaxis behavior towards light of different wavelength and intensity. CR of strain CC-125 has been imported from the University of Minnesota (chlamycollection.org) for the experiments in this study. Two category experiments have been done, firstly an observation will be done on CR’s response to red light and blue light. Initially, a prototype of the experimental setup was done, the result gathered was then used to improve the accuracy of the actual experimental setup. The experiment result has shown CR’s positive phototactic response to blue light, while no phototactic response has been observed when red light was used. Upon gathering this result, the second experiment was to vary the light intensity of blue light to observe the rate of accumulation of CR.