Nitrogen uptake by Ulva: influence on growth, nitrogen preference, and biochemical composition

Harmful algal blooms are an environmental concern in Scotland and worldwide due to the devastating impact they can have on local ecosystems and fragile aquatic communities. They often form due to fertiliser run-off from agricultural use, which provides an abundance of nutrients which opportunistic algae use to grow. However, these algal blooms could be providing an untapped resource which can be harvested and used in agriculture as well as assisting in the conservation of local marine populations. To assess this capability, this project aims to quantify the nutrient uptake abilities of a species of Ulva algae isolated from the inlet bay here at SAMS, as well as testing variability by levels of nutrients, seasonal light changes, preference for different forms of nitrogen, and composition of biomass of the final product of the algal cultures. This project is part of an MRes qualification, and findings are not available.

Supervisors:

Dr. Michael Ross, SAMS

Dr. Puja Kumari, SAMS

Dr. Francisca Vermuelen, SAMS

Funder:  Co-op Foundation's Carbon Innovation Fund Round II

Start date: October 2024