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Pigment-based chemotaxonomy of phytoplankton in Lake Okeechobee, Florida and effects of irradiance on cyanobacteria

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Date Issued:
2003
Summary:
The phytoplankton community of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, has been studied and algal divisions were identified. Chemotaxonomy is a process that assigns taxonomic divisions based on ratios of biomarker pigments to chlorophyll, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Microscopic counts of taxonomic groups were compared to chemotaxonomic groups for lake samples for one year. Lab cultures of cyanobacteria grown at irradiance of 2 to 500 micromoles photons m-2 s-1 (muEinsteins) suggested that internal ratios of chlorophyll to both zeaxanthin and echinenone could be used to estimate abundance of cyanobacteria, as either alone missed certain populations. Lake water samples showed that both methods agreed that diatoms and cyanobacteria were the dominant groups, with moderate number of green algae and few dinoflagellates. HPLC evidence revealed cryptophytes more frequently than did microscopy. This suggested that cryptophytes may be more significant than has been previously reported.
Title: Pigment-based chemotaxonomy of phytoplankton in Lake Okeechobee, Florida and effects of irradiance on cyanobacteria.
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Name(s): Skoog, Kathryn Owen.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Louda, J. William, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2003
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 123 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The phytoplankton community of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, has been studied and algal divisions were identified. Chemotaxonomy is a process that assigns taxonomic divisions based on ratios of biomarker pigments to chlorophyll, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Microscopic counts of taxonomic groups were compared to chemotaxonomic groups for lake samples for one year. Lab cultures of cyanobacteria grown at irradiance of 2 to 500 micromoles photons m-2 s-1 (muEinsteins) suggested that internal ratios of chlorophyll to both zeaxanthin and echinenone could be used to estimate abundance of cyanobacteria, as either alone missed certain populations. Lake water samples showed that both methods agreed that diatoms and cyanobacteria were the dominant groups, with moderate number of green algae and few dinoflagellates. HPLC evidence revealed cryptophytes more frequently than did microscopy. This suggested that cryptophytes may be more significant than has been previously reported.
Identifier: 9780496198931 (isbn), 13044 (digitool), FADT13044 (IID), fau:9909 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2003.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Cyanobacteria
Phytoplankton--Florida--Okeechobee, Lake
Plant pigments--Florida--Okeechobee, Lake
Okeechobee, Lake (Fla )
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13044
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.