The effects of naturally modeled acidic conditions on the growth of the phytoplankton Gymnodinium

• Main Author: Bellukutty, Pranav
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Furman University Scholar Exchange 2018
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2018/all/159

Ocean acidification over the past decade has become a global issue. It affects many marine organisms that utilize calcium carbonate shells or skeletons. These organisms are at risk from the increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, which results in decreased pH of seawater (Edmunds et al., 2016). As a result, many reef-building corals have lost the ability to produce their own skeletons. Australian researchers show that 67% of the northern reef’s have died (Life and death after Great Barrier Reef bleaching, 2016). This experiments purpose was to determine the effects of ocean acidification on the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium to show the impact of ocean acidification on the whole marine ecosystem. Plankton may seem insignificant, yet they are an essential part of the marine food web as an energy source to consumers. It was hypothesized that Gymnodinium grown in regular ocean water pH would have a greater absorbance at 530 nm than Gymnodinium grown in more acidic conditions. First the solutions were made, with both group’s solutions being distributed to 10 test tubes each and placed under the light bar for one week. After the week, the final absorbance was measured at 530 nm using a Spectrovis and was recorded. Then the final absorbance was subtracted from the initial absorbance to give the change in absorbance. A T-test determined the values were insignificant, as p>�=0.05 (T=1.79 p=.107). The hypothesis was not supported because the test yielded insignificant results.