{"id":3621,"date":"2012-03-07T16:35:36","date_gmt":"2012-03-07T22:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=3621"},"modified":"2012-03-07T17:10:33","modified_gmt":"2012-03-07T23:10:33","slug":"why-algae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=3621","title":{"rendered":"Why Algae?"},"content":{"rendered":"
When students first entered the classroom this semester, they were greeted by\u00a0this sight:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Needless to say, there were some questions asked.\u00a0 The 10-gallon tank in the background holds the stock algae that we will be using for our “algae” experiments over the course of this class. (Special thanks to Dr. Belinda Sturm, Environmental Engineering professor at KU for the algae).<\/div>\n
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Inside the tank are two\u00a0types\u00a0of microalgae: Ankistrodesmus <\/em>and Chlorella<\/em>. My students have asked, “Why algae?” enough that Miranda Gray, plant pathologist at Kansas State University, developed a module on model organisms (doc<\/a>\u00a0and ppt<\/a>). From this module, my students were able to come up with the following reasons to use algae when studying Environmental Science:<\/div>\n
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  1. Algae\u00a0are prevalent in basically all ecosystems on Earth<\/li>\n
  2. It is easy to tell when the algae have grown (Built in color indicator!)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Very small size makes it easy to use in a HS classroom.\u00a0 Replicating trials is easier also!<\/li>\n
  4. Algae\u00a0are cheap (free if you acquire it from a natural<\/em> source), and hardy. [Something I have learned: It is always good to use an organism that is difficult to kill when dealing with HS scientists].<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. Algae = Plant = Producer.\u00a0 Since producers occupy the “lowest” trophic level in any given ecosystem, it is easier to make\u00a0predictions about the impact on the\u00a0other members of the community.<\/li>\n
  6. Algae\u00a0= Plant = No permission is necessary\u00a0from an ethics board to experiment on algae.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Throughout the course of the semester, my students will be designing and implementing experimental treatments that will aim to test how algal growth responds to a number of factors, including:<\/p>\n