The effect of Hordeum vulgare, rice hull, and oak leaf litter on the prevalence of Microcystis
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Environmental Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Written Paper Award
1st Place
Abstract
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are becoming more prevalent issues throughout the world, threatening ecosystems, posing risks to human health, and resulting in millions of dollars in economic damage. Conventionally, treatment approaches have been chemical or physical, but these are harmful to aquatic life or inefficient, respectively, which presents the biological approach as a favorable alternative. To assess the effects of low-effort and cost-effective treatments, Hordeum vulgare, rice hull, and oak leaf litter were individually applied to Microcystis cultures and compared to two negative controls (Microcystis alone and cotton on Microcystis) and a positive control (CuSO4). This research was aimed at comparing the capabilities of these treatments on minimizing the size of cyanobacterial blooms, through optical density. It was hypothesized that Hordeum vulgare would be the most effective treatment because barley straw releases phenolic compounds. Separately, observations of the effects of these treatments on Daphnia magna populations were noted in separate cultures without Microcystis. Optical density was taken of the groups with cyanobacteria at 730 nm prior to adding treatments and repeated twice on weekly intervals. After calculating the decrease in OD, an ANOVA at alpha equals 0.05 was used to determine whether there were any significant differences between the means. The ANOVA determined that the values were not significant, as p>alpha (F(5, 37) = 1.31, p=0.283), showing that none of the treatments had significantly different effects. Thus, the hypothesis that Hordeum vulgare would be the most effective in decreasing Microcystis prevalence was not supported.
Recommended Citation
Varanasi, Sreya, "The effect of Hordeum vulgare, rice hull, and oak leaf litter on the prevalence of Microcystis" (2018). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 172.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2018/all/172
Location
Lassiter 220
Start Date
4-14-2018 9:00 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
The effect of Hordeum vulgare, rice hull, and oak leaf litter on the prevalence of Microcystis
Lassiter 220
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are becoming more prevalent issues throughout the world, threatening ecosystems, posing risks to human health, and resulting in millions of dollars in economic damage. Conventionally, treatment approaches have been chemical or physical, but these are harmful to aquatic life or inefficient, respectively, which presents the biological approach as a favorable alternative. To assess the effects of low-effort and cost-effective treatments, Hordeum vulgare, rice hull, and oak leaf litter were individually applied to Microcystis cultures and compared to two negative controls (Microcystis alone and cotton on Microcystis) and a positive control (CuSO4). This research was aimed at comparing the capabilities of these treatments on minimizing the size of cyanobacterial blooms, through optical density. It was hypothesized that Hordeum vulgare would be the most effective treatment because barley straw releases phenolic compounds. Separately, observations of the effects of these treatments on Daphnia magna populations were noted in separate cultures without Microcystis. Optical density was taken of the groups with cyanobacteria at 730 nm prior to adding treatments and repeated twice on weekly intervals. After calculating the decrease in OD, an ANOVA at alpha equals 0.05 was used to determine whether there were any significant differences between the means. The ANOVA determined that the values were not significant, as p>alpha (F(5, 37) = 1.31, p=0.283), showing that none of the treatments had significantly different effects. Thus, the hypothesis that Hordeum vulgare would be the most effective in decreasing Microcystis prevalence was not supported.
