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The influence of surface color on freshwater algae growth (Chlorophyta)

Sarah L. Weeks, 2122 N 120 W Apt. 295, Provo, Utah 84604 Email:

Abstract:
Experiments were conductedthe Provo River of Provo, Utah. Algal growth was observed under natural conditions in this river, with tiles light and dark in color. The purpose was to test the hypothesis that darker colored surfaceswill encourage more growth of freshwater algae(Chlorophyta) than lighter colored surfaces will. To demonstrate this, tiles were placed in the river and periodically removed, and the percentage of the tile covered by algae was measured with a grid placed over each tile.The algae was then scraped off and weighed on an electric scale. It was determined that darker colored tiles did indeed grow algae better than lighter colored tiles, according the weight and percentage of the tiles covered. It was noted that the places on each tile where algae were most abundant did not follow a set pattern, butI offer no explanation.

Key words: Provo River, Chlorophyta, growth, surface color.

Introduction

According to The Physics and Chemistry of Color, when light is absorbed, it will be released into the atmosphere as heat (Nassau 2001). Furthermore, objects with a darker color will absorb more light (Overheim,Wagner, 1982).In studies involving algal growth and temperature, it has been determined that the temperature of the water affects the growth of algae. As the temperature of the waterincreases, the amount of algae that grows also increases (Parker et. al 2007, Raven 1988, and Marshall 1965). During an algal collection attempt, it was determined that ceramic tiles do not encourage the growth of algae (Chaturvedi 2008).

While working in the Provo River, I noticed that algae grew on the rocksdespite the colder temperatures of the winter weather.I wondered if one were to build an outside fishpond,what material color would best discourage the growth of algae, and thus reduce the amount of time required to clean the pond. I hypothesized that darker colored tiles would grow algae better than lighter colored tiles, and decided to test this hypothesis with non- ceramic tiles. This was done in accordance with the above noted source, so that more algae would grow, and increase the possibility of being able to measure the weight of the algae.

Methods and Materials

To discover the effect the color of the surface had on the growthfreshwater algae (Chlorophyta), I bought 12 tiles of tumbled marble, of approximately one square foot in area (929.0333 cm^2) from the Lowe’s store in Orem, Utah. Half of the tiles were dark brown in color, the other half were off-white in color. On the 19th of FebruaryI then took these tiles and placed them in the Provo River.Three dark tiles and three light tileswere placed in the middle of the river, about three meters from either shore, and under an average 20 cm of water. They were placed aboutone meter apart from each other. Three dark tiles and three light tileswere placed three meters away, downstream,spaced at about 30 cm apart. They were under a bridge about one meter in width (see Figure 1).

I returned once each week for three weeks afterwards,at approximately 10:30 am,and removed one dark tile and one light tile from each site. For each tile, I then recorded the percentage of surface area covered by algae. I also removed the algae from the tile, and weighed it to the nearest hundredth of a gram on an electric scale, obtained from the Brigham Young University Biology Stock Room. An electronic thermometer, also obtained from the Stock Room, was used to measure the temperature of the water to the nearest tenth in degrees Celsius.

As another evaluation of the effect of surface color on the growth of freshwater algae (Chlorophyta), I made a square wooden frame, and at appropriate intervals of every centimeter tied thread across its opening, which formed a grid. This grid was then placed over the side, top and bottom of each tile, and the percentage of the surface area that was completely covered by algae was recorded. Water depth was measured using a ruler that measured in inches, and the measurements were later converted to centimeters.

Results

After one week, I returned on February 26th. The weather was sunny, and warm, with the water temperature measuring approximately 4.1 degrees Celsius.I discovered that not enough algae had grown to cover substantially any portion of the tiles placed under the bridge,although on both tiles there were areas around small holesin the tiles where algae appeared to be attempting to grow. The tiles removed from the middle of the river showed some growth. I attempted to scrape the algae off of all tiles collected, but for no tile was I able to gather an amount that was large enough for the electric scale to weigh.(See Table 1 and 2)

On March 5th, 2010, I observedthat the water level was about10 cm lower than the previous week’s depth. I observed that this was odd, because the weather that day had been snowing most of the morning, and melting when it hit the ground.The water temperature was 3.9 degrees Celsius. The darker tiles had grown more algae than the lighter tiles, and from the dark tile from the middle of the river, it was possible to get a reading for the weight of the algae.(See Table 1 and 2) However, the rest of the tiles did not yield enough algae to register a weight on the scale.

On March 12, 2010 the water temperature was 5.3 degrees Celsius. For most of the week the weather had been warmer than the previous two weeks. The darker tiles from both locations had more algae growing on them than their lighter colored counterparts. For almost all tiles, except the light tile from under the bridge, enough algae had grown to be scraped off and weighed.(See Tables 1 and 2)

Discussion

One of the most important factors to this experiment would be the amount of sunlight available to the algae. It was noted that in comparison to the first two weeks, the tiles of the third week appeared to have substantially more algae. This did not appear to be the normal amount that would accumulate after one week according to the data I had collected the previous two weeks; rather it seemed to be an effect of the unusually warm weather of the week leading up to the recording. In the second week the results did not follow an expected pattern, with the darker tile from under the bridge exhibiting a larger percentage of algae than the darker tile from the middle of the river.

According to my results, the overall pattern was that darker colored tiles encouraged the growth of freshwater algae better, which did not vary between the two locations. This confirmed my hypothesis that darker colored tiles would grow more algae than lighter colored tiles. I noticed that where the algae chose to grow on each tile did not follow any set pattern, growing better on the top of one tile, but not as well on the top on another tile.

When comparing the lighter tiles of the same week, two things were noted. From the tile under the bridge the top had grown more algae than the bottom. Yet as for the tile from the middle of the river, the bottom portion of the tile had grown more algae. The reason for this is unknown, but in the future it would be helpful to understand if the tile facing the surface and the sun is warmer than the surface facing the bottom of the river, and if the flow of the water affects the temperature of any particular spot. It would also be a good idea to know if a few centimeters of depth difference in a river could affect the temperature.

It would further narrow the experiment to make the placement of each tile as similar as possible to each of the other tiles, for example, placing the tiles of both locations the same distance apart.Another variable to be considered is howdepth of water might affect how much sunlight is received, and how that would affect the growth of algae. Thus when repeating this experiment, it would be beneficial to place all tiles at the exact same depth.

According to a study which included the effect of water speed on algal growth, the speed of water affects the amount of algae that grows.Slower moving waters grew more algae than faster moving waters (Poff et. al 1990). Reattempting this experiment in slower waters may produce more algae to weigh.

Performing this experiment in warmer weather may provide a clearer picture of the abiotic factors that affect the growth of the algae. I hypothesize that the warmer weather of the last week of the experiment may have been the cause of the greater algal growth for that week. However, in weather that was continually warm it may become apparent that algae will be slow to begin growing, but after an initial period, the algae may grow at a faster rate than before.

By knowing that darker colored surfaces encourage the growth of freshwater algae (Chlorophyta), when building aquariums, and outdoor marine parks, the amount of algae that grows could be reduced, and tanks would not need cleaning as often. This would save time and money for the owners.

Literature Cited

Chaturvedi S. 2008 Algal biofouling on ceramic surface.Journal of Phytological Research. 21(2) p. 325-326

Marshall, Harold, G., 1965 The Annual distribution and stratification of phytoplankton at aurora lake, portage county, Ohio. The Ohio Journal of Science 65(4): 190-202

Nassau K. 2001.The Physics and Chemistry of Color. New York (NY) John Wiley and Sons Inc. p. 26-27

Overheim, R., Daniel, Wagner, David, L. 1982. Light and Color. New York. John Wiley and Sons Inc. p. 40-41

Parker, F., Davidson, M., Freeman, K., Hair, S., & Daume, S. 2007. Investigation of optimal temperature and light conditions for three benthic diatoms and their suitability to commercial scale nursery culture of abalone (HaliotisLaevigata). Journal of Shellfish Research, 26(3): 751-762

Poff, N., LeRoy, Voelz, Neal, J., Ward, J.,V., and Lee, R., E., 1990 Algal Colonization under Four Experimentally-Controlled Current Regimes in High Mountain Stream.Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 9(4): 303-318

Raven, John, A. , Geider, Richard, J. 1988. Temperature and Algal Growth. New Phytologist, 110 (4): 441-461

Appendix

Table 1:

Dark / Light
Week 1 / 0.0 grams / 0.0 grams
Week 2 / 0.1 grams / 0.0 grams
Week 3 / .2 grams / .1 grams

The Weight of the Algae from the tiles removed from the middle of the river for each week. Bolded data represents enough algae to be scraped off, but not enough to register a reading from the scale. The weight represents algae removed from all sides of the tile.

Table 2
Dark / Light
Week 1 / 0.0 grams / 0.0 grams
Week 2 / 0.0 grams / 0.0 grams
Week 3 / 0.1 grams / 0.0 grams

Weight of Algae from the tiles removed from under the bridge for each week. Bolded data represents enough algae to be scraped off, but not enough to register a reading from the scale. The weight represents algae removed from all sides of the tile.

Table 3

Dark, bottom / Dark, Top / Light Bottom / Light Top
Week 1 / 0.13% / 0.06% / 0.06% / 0.00%
Week 2 / 0.00% / 0.56% / 0.25% / 0.00%
Week 3 / 0.06% / 0.50% / 0.00% / 3.13%

Percentage of surface area covered for the tiles removed from the middle of the river, for each week. A bolded 0% shows that there were signs of algal growth, but not enough to measure.

Dark, bottom / Dark, Top / Light Bottom / Light Top
Week 1 / 0.00% / 0.00% / 0.00% / 0.00%
Week 2 / 0.06% / 100% / 0.00% / 0.75%
Week 3 / 0.00% / 0.31% / 0.00% / 0.00%

Table 4: Percentage of surface area covered for the tiles removed from under the bridge for each week. A bolded 0% shows that there were signs of algal growth, but not enough to measure.

Figure 1:

A photograph of the bridge that half of the tiles were placed under. The bridge in the foreground is the one used, not the one in the background.