ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROALGAE FROM POND AND FRESH WATER

ABSTRACT

This project involved isolation and identification of microalgae from pond and fresh water. The aim of the research was to enumerate the algal species that inhabit pond and fresh water environments. Water samples were collected at one week interval for a period of four weeks. Standard Microbiological procedures were employed in the culturing of the algal species. F2 medium was used for the culturing. The algal colonies obtained were subjected to microscopic and morphology identification. Five species of algae (Cyclotella bodanica Eulenst, Cyclotella meneghiniana, Diatomelongatum agardh, Rhizosolenia longiseta Zach, Melosira Varians) were identified. The research concluded that microalgae inhabit aquatic environment such as pond and might have some useful activities they play on the aquatic environment.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Certification………………………………………………………………………………....i

Dedication………………………………………………………………………………….ii

Acknowledgement…….……………………………………………………………...……iii

Table of Contents………………………...………………………………………………..iv

List of Tables……………...………………………………………………………………..v

Abstract............................………………………………………………………………….vi

Chapter One…………………………………………………………….....……………...1

Introduction………………………………………………………………………...…......1

1.1       Background of the Study………………………………………………….………..1

1.2 Microalgae…………………………………………………………………………2

1.3       Objective of the Study……………………………………………………...……...5

Chapter Two…………………………………………………………………………..…..6

 2.1      Literature Review………………………….……………………………………….6

2.2.1    Microalgae Culturing (Cultivation)………………………………………………...6

2.2.2    Microalgae Growth and Cultivation………………………………………………..8

Chapter Three………………………………………………………………………….. 11

3.0       Material and Methods………………………….………………………………….11

3.1       Field Collection…………………………………………………………………...11

3.2       Culture Medium/Nutrient…………………………………………………………11

3.2.1    Media Preparation………………………………………………………………...12

3.2.2 Materials…………………………………………………………………………..12

3.3 Methods…………………………………………………………………………...12

3.3.1    Sterilizing Culture Medium……………………………………………………….13

3.4 Isolation………………………………………………………………………...…14

3.5       Morphological Identification……………………………………………………...15

Chapter Four………………………………………………………………………..……16

4.1 Result……………………………………………………………………..……….16

Chapter Five………………………………………………………...……………………18

5.1 Discussion………………………………………………………………………...18

5.2       Conclusion and Recommendation………………………………………………..18

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Algae Isolated and Identified From Pond……………….........16

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

The word algae represents a large group of different organisms from different phylogenetic groups, representing many taxonomic divisions. In general algae can be referred to as plant-like organisms that are usually photosynthetic and aquatic, but do not have true roots, stems, leaves, vascular tissue and have simple reproductive structures (Lenntech, 2015). They are distributed worldwide in the sea, in freshwater and in moist situations on land. Most are microscopic, but some are quite large, e.g. some marine seaweeds that can exceed 50 m in length. The algae have chlorophyll and can manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Recently they are classified in the kingdom of protiste, which comprise a variety of unicellular and multicellular eukaryotic organisms that have cells with a membrane- bound nucleus. There are nine phyla of microalgae based on molecular sequence information (Graham and Wilocox, 2000). These are the Cyanobacteria (Prokaryote), Glaucophyta, Euglenophyta, Haptophyta, Dinophyta, Ocrophyta Rhodophyta (red algea), and Chlorophyta (green algae). Algae can be divided into Macroalgae (e.g. seaweed) and Microalgae (e.g. Phytoplankton). Microalgae are the focus of this research. The diversity of microalgae is immense and almost untapped resources (Purz and Gross, 2004). It has been estimated that between 200,000 and several million species exist (Norton et al., 1996), compared to around 250,000 species of higher plants (Pulz & Gross, 2004).

1.2       Microalgae

Microalgae are prokaryotic or eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms that produce carbohydrate, proteins and lipids as a result of photosynthesis. They can grow rapidly and live in hash conditions due to their unicellular or simple multicellular structure .examples of prokaryotic microalgae are Cyanobacter (cyanophyceae) and eukaryotic microalgae are green algae (Chlorophyta) and Diatoms (Bacillariophyta). (Wolkers etal., 2011).

Fig. l: Diagram of microalgae

Microalgae are, literally, “little seaweeds”. They are living microorganisms that are single-celled or colonial, like bacteria and protozoa. They are different, however, from most other microbes in that they use the energy of sunlight to make their own food by photosynthesis. Microalgae are the primitive ancestors of plants, and microalgae “invented” photosynthesis billions of years ago. Microalgae are enormously diverse, in terms of their physical appearance and internal chemistry. They can be found in the sea, in freshwater, in soil, on rocks, and even in snow, providing evidence of the sustainability of microalgae in the earth’s sunlit ecosystems. In fact, approximately half of the oxygen put into the earth’s atmosphere each day comes from microalgae, with the rest coming from land plants. Just as plants are the base - the beginning - of the food webs on land, microalgae, also termed phytoplankton, provide the base of aquatic food webs. Fueled by the sugar produced by photosynthesis, microalgae absorb mineral elements, mainly the nitrogen and phosphorus found in garden fertilizers, to increase in numbers. As single­ celled organisms, when they grow, they do not get bigger, you get more of them. Their biomass is a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, providing nutritious food for tiny animals such as copepods as well as oysters, clams, and mussels. The smorgasbord of thousands of microalgal species in natural waters somehow satisfies the nutritional needs of all the animals that live there, but as humanity makes the transition from hunter to farmer in the sea and freshwater, just as we have on land, it makes sense to select only the most nutritious species of microalgae to cultivate as feeds for aquatic and marine animals that eat microalgae, and for commercial purpose At the moment taxonomist have distinguished the following main group. (Wolkers et al., 2011)

Fig.2   Diagram of a Green Alga  (Chlorophyta)

Green Algae : they form one of the largest group of algae about 7500species contain chlorophyll (like in plant) a large amount of protein, under stress conditions they produce starch and oil that are stored inside the cell.

Red Algae: are group of 5000 mostly mulitcellular marine species, living in the tidal zone of the sea.(Wolkers et al., 2011)     

Diatoms: this group of unicellular algae is more than 100,000 species on earth. They are an indispensable food source for the zooplankton in freshwater and sea water; they produce mainly oil that is stored in the cell.

Gold Algae: This group is beautifully coloured species of algae that exist mainly in fresh water and marine. They possess flagella that are used for displacement.

Yellow Algae: They are close relative of the brown algae, but most approximately 600 species are unicellular and in fresh water.

Blue Algae or Cyanobacteria: Notorious algae that can produce toxins and in situations of high concentration, can seriously affect the water quantity.

1.3       Objective of the Study

To isolate microalgae from pond and freshwater.

To identify the microalgae.

To quantify the microalgae.

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