BlueGreen Algae and Calcareous Brown Algae: Binding carbon through time

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Blue-Green Algaeand Calcareous Brown
AlgaeBinding carbon through time
Seth Sheldon EOS 187S - Spring 2008
Duke University Dwyer
March 7, 2008
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Purpose

• To give a brief description of both blue-green
  algae and brown algae
• To point out interesting features of both groups
  of organisms
• To note environmental and geological effects
• To outline research on each topic

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Domain ? Kingdom ? Phylum ? Class
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Blue-green Algae
Wrong!
Wrong!
They come in a wide range of colorsusually
greens, yellows, oranges, and browns.
Technically, theyre called Cyanobacteria. They
re photosynthetic bacteria, not algae. Algae
evolved much later.
Source http//www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyan
ointro.html
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Blue-green Algae
Cyanobacteria

• Where does one find cyanobacteria?

Every conceivable habit from the oceans to
desert soil Live as endosymbiotes in countless
plants and animals Chloroplasts in plants
are modified cyanobacteria!
Right Here! (roughly speaking)
Sloth (on a road?)
Sources http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacter
ia_note-2 http//www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/
cyanointro.html
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Cyanobacteria A History

• The original form of life 3.5 billion years
  old!
• Able to bind carbon in anaerobic conditions
• Oxygen production during the Archaean and
  Proterozoic Eras

Sources http//www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontol
ogie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite1.html http//ezinearticl
es.com/?Blue-Green-Algae-(Cyanobacteria)-in-Aquari
umsid531040 http//www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacter
ia/cyanointro.html
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Cyanobacteria Stromatolites

• Carbonate (CaCO3) accretes on the exterior of the
  cells, forming mats
• Oldest found in Australia
• Modern examples
• Shark Bay, Australia (farthest)
• Exuma, Bahamas (nearest)

Source http//www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontolo
gie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite1.html http//fire.biol.ww
u.edu/trent/alles/Stromatolites.pdf
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Cyanobacteria Environmental Effects

• Given the right conditions,
• massive bacterial blooms can occur
• Some cyanobacteria produce toxic irritants
• Significant problem in Florida
• No short term solutions

Sources http//www.health.state.ny.us/environmen
tal/water/drinking/bluegreenalgae.pdf http//www.
nalms.org/Resources/BlueGreenInitiative/Overview.h
tm http//www.wwn-online.com/articles/51147/
http//www.dep.state.fl.us/water/bgalgae/
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Cyanobacteria Past Research
Kratz and Meyers (1955) Developed a proper media
and set of methods for evaluating the growth of
some species of cyanobacteria
Glock (1946) Blue-green algae make
poor eco-indicators, because of their extreme
environmental tolerances.
Shapiro (1973) Blue-green algae are superior
binders of CO2 in environments of low pH, and
low CO2 concentrations.
Sources Glock, W. 1946. Algae as Ecologic
Indicators. American Midland Naturalist, Vol.
36, No. 2. (Sep., 1946), pp. 279-281. Kratz, W.
and J. Meyers. 1955. Nutrition and Growth of
Several Blue-Green Algae. American Journal of
Botany, Vol. 42, No. 3. (Mar., 1955), pp.
282-287. Shapiro, J. 1973. Blue-Green Algae
Why They Become Dominant. Science, New Series,
Vol. 179, No. 4071. (Jan. 26, 1973), pp. 382-384.
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Now, fast forward 3 billion years
Domain ? Kingdom ? Phylum ? Class
Sources http//www.geo.umn.edu/people/profs/swain
/Swain_CarbohydratesIII.pdf http//www.britannica
.com/eb/article-9016698/brown-algae
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Brown Algae

• Geologic history of brown algae is poorly known
• Vary in size from microscopic to 100 meters in
  length
• Significant source of algin, a food stabilizer
• Most species of brown algae are not significant
  contributors to carbonate production

Same Phylum
Sources http//www.jstor.org/view/00030031/di0033
42/00p0028u/0 http//www.geo.umn.edu/people/profs
/swain/Swain_CarbohydratesIII.pdf http//www.brit
annica.com/eb/article-9016698/brown-algae http//
books.google.com/books?idV9VWvl76Q4cCpgPA69lpg
PA69dqcalcareousbrownalgaesourcewebotslGH
N_XVaNpsigLwzyMlqTR-jLwaE2K5mjSiXY- s8hlen
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Brown Algae
Correct!
Correct!
Contain the pigment fucoxanthin, which gives
them their distinctive color

Photosynthetic, but only plantlike Have
historically been labeled plants, but lack many
chemical and structural features found in land
plants
Sources http//ph.answers.yahoo.com/question/inde
x?qid20070314081229AAjjfs2show7
http//www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/chromista/phaeophyta
.html
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Calcareous Brown Algae

• Some species are calcareous
• Genus Padina
• Live on hard substrates, like rock
• Usually found on reef fringes
• and in shallow pools
• Excrete calcium carbonate
• directly onto cell walls

Sources http//www.coexploration.org/bbsr/coral/h
tml/body_padina.html http//www.mesa.edu.au/frien
ds/seashores/p_pavonea.html
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Brown Algae - Research
Chave (1984) Padina undergoes extracellular
calcification. How can calcareous algae exist
next to non-calcareous algae?
Davis, Moleski, and Mucci (2003) Brown algae
prove to be the most effective biosorbents of
toxic heavy metals.
review of Borowitzka (1982)
Steinberg (1986) Surprisingly low concentrations
of phenolics in Sargassum and Turbinaria may
account for their preferential consumption by
some herbivores.
Sources Chave, K. 1984. Physics and Chemistry
of Biomineralization. Ann. Rev. Earth Planet
Sci. 12293-305. Steinberg, P. 1986. Chemical
defenses and the susceptibility of tropical
marine brown algae to herbivores. Oecologia
(Berlin)69628-630. Davis et al. 2003. A
review of the biochemistry of heavy metal
biosorption by brown algae. Water Research
3743114330.
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Picture Sources
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ges/Florida_20030121_1600_250m.jpg http//www.doir
.wa.gov.au/Images/GSWA/gsdImg_Strom_Trendall_south
_g.jpg http//ares.jsc.nasa.gov/astrobiology/bioma
rkers/_images/strom.jpg http//upload.wikimedia.or
g/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/CyanobacteriaColl1.jpg ht
tp//plantphys.info/organismal/lechtml/archaea.htm
l http//www.peripatus.gen.nz/paleontology/MaiLinE
vo.html http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/0/02/Lake_Thetis-Stromatolites-LaRuth.jpg http
//ccma.nos.noaa.gov/reef_fish_photos/PADSPP_1_PAR
_01_05.JPG http//www.coexploration.org/bbsr/coral
/assets/images/padina_vickersiae.jpg http//www.sh
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sisresearch.org/images/Warwick20st4250L.jpg http
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icalmiami.com/tag/water/ http//www.frw.ca/albums/
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croscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imgdec02/Campylodiscus.jpg
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