Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Comparison Of Phytoplankton Communities In Lake Prince And The Western Branch Reservoir, Suffolk, Virginia, Cara Marie Muscio

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Lake Prince and the Western Branch Reservoir are two eutrophic bodies of water located in Suffolk, Virginia. Lake Prince and its two small tributaries join the Western branch via a constructed spillway. This lake system is a source of water for the surrounding municipalities, and a recreational area for community citizens. In the past, these bodies of water had repeated incidents of low oxygen and nuisance algal blooms, particularly cyanobacteria species. As a result aerators have been installed in the main body of both Lake Prince and the Western Branch Reservoir. In addition, a pipeline has been installed from North …

Biodegradation Of Crude Oil By Marine Higher Fungi, Brian J. Dyer

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Four experiments were performed to determine the ability of marine higher fungi to grow in and degrade crude oil. Eight species, previously determined to be hydrocarbonoclastic, were grown in artificial sea water medium (ASM) and southern Louisiana crude oil. The dry mycelial weights were measured and consumption of crude oil was measured gravimetrically. The two species with the best growth, Corollospora maritima and Zalerion maritimum, were grown in ASM containing crude oil spiked with three known hydrocarbons. To this was added glucose (0.15%) and incubated 49 days to test for possible cometabolism of hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons remaining in the growth …

Algal Dynamics In A Cypress Stand In The Seasonally Flooded Great Dismal Swamp, Joseph A. Atchue Iii

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The dynamics of epiphytic algae and phytoplankton were studied at a cypress stand in the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia. Mean epiphytic algal biomass was 19.9 g m^-2 and mean planktonic biomass was 3.4 g m^-2.Nutrient concentrations in the epiphytic algae and the litter were determined. The algae had mean concentrations of 1.67% and 0.18%. They were found to immobilize as much as 0.5 g N m^-2 and 0.06 g P m^-2. This suggests that the algae are important as nutrient conservers. The phytoplankton were composed primarily of Bacillariophyceae. They exhibited a more or less …

Petroleum-Utilizing Bacteria: The Biological Line Defense Against Oil Pollution, Steven W. Sokolowski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A silica gel-petroleum (SGP) medium was developed which is reliable, approximately the same cost as that of the corresponding agar-based petroleum medium, and can be made sufficiently firm to use in streaking or the spread-plate technique. Advantages of the medium include: the incorporation of all of the major ions of seawater in accordance with Dittmar's Law (the salinity of which can easily be varied from 0 to 35 parts per thousand); a wide workable pH range (5.5 to 11.6); negligable pH drift(~ 0.2 pH units after 166 days); the elimination of all but negligable amounts of syneresis, the ability to …

Isolation And Enumeration Of Enteric Viruses From Primary Wastewater Sludge, Michael Wayne Nath

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The presence of large numbers of enteric viruses in wastewaters has resulted in concern regarding their significance and consequences for humans. Assessments of relative significance or consequences may most accurately be made following precise measurements of the range of virus types and amounts in wastewaters and sludges and after epidemiological considerations. In this study, results are presented pertaining to enteric virus isolation, concentration, and enumeration from primary wastewater sludges.

As an integral part of a comparison of isolation procedures, several anionic surfactants were examined for extraction of enteric viruses from primary wastewater sludges. Plaquing efficiencies for poliovirus type 2 and …