Abstract |
The capacity of the Pyramid Lake, Nevada, environment to grow algae was studied. Pyramid Lake is a brackish terminal lake located in the Intermontane region. To understand the uniqueness of the lake's environment, both field and laboratory investigations were necessary. From field studies, the water quality, the pH of the lake, and the temperatures of the lake were obtained during the algal bloom in the summers of 1972 and 1973. By using phosphate concentration as the criteria, the lake could be classified as eutrophic. The main contributor to the bloom was the blue-green algae, Nodularia spumigena. Nodularia spumigena was isolated and cultured in the laboratory. Using the purified stock as inoculant, work using chemostats was conducted. In the fermentors, it has been determined that N. spumigena is sensitive to the light intensity. Light intensities of 100 foot candles for twelve hours per day cause the cell to bleach and then die. |