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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Construction Of Dichotomous Taxonomic Keys For San Francisco Bay Planktonic Diatoms, Ria Angelica Laxa May 2021

Construction Of Dichotomous Taxonomic Keys For San Francisco Bay Planktonic Diatoms, Ria Angelica Laxa

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Planktonic diatoms exhibit high biodiversity in marine systems and make a significant contribution to water column primary productivity. This makes research on planktonic diatoms particularly important in measuring the health of coastal marine ecosystems. At the University of San Francisco (USF), undergraduate research has been conducted since September 2015 to study planktonic diatoms in San Francisco Bay. A previous study by Keith (2018), Planktonic Diatom Species Succession in San Francisco Bay, documented changes in species diversity over time, observing seasonal patterns in species richness as well as the effect of environmental factors such as salinity, temperature, and rainfall on species …


Planktonic Diatom Species Succession In San Francisco Bay (September 2015 - December 2017), Theresa Keith May 2018

Planktonic Diatom Species Succession In San Francisco Bay (September 2015 - December 2017), Theresa Keith

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since Hutchinson first described the “Paradox of the Plankton” in 1961, research has been done to determine how and why the coexistence of so many different species of phytoplankton is possible. A critical part of this question is species succession, or how the assemblage of phytoplankton in a region changes over time. This study examines the succession of planktonic diatoms in San Francisco Bay, CA (USA) from September 2015 through December 2017 using phytoplankton samples and environmental data. Periodic sampling was conducted at a site in the Golden Gate Strait and taxa were identified using light microscopy and scanning electron …


The Role Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus In The Growth, Toxicity, And Distribution Of The Toxic Cyanobacteria, Microcystis Aeruginosa, James Parrish May 2014

The Role Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus In The Growth, Toxicity, And Distribution Of The Toxic Cyanobacteria, Microcystis Aeruginosa, James Parrish

Master's Projects and Capstones

Microcystis aeruginosa is among the most common harmful algal-blooming species in the world. Potent microcystins released by M. aeruginosa have been linked to liver failure and death in aquatic mammals, like the endangered California sea otter, and provide a serious public health risk to humans. Once characterized as a freshwater problem, M. aeruginosa is expanding on a global scale, making persistent returns in freshwater, brackish, and coastal marine ecosystems. Though commonly observed dominating aquatic ecosystems in low N:P atomic ratios less than 44:1, the reliability of N:P ratios as a tool for managing and predicting M. aeruginosa blooms is explored …