Ella Nestingen
Research Mentor(s): Sara Rivera
Mentor Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
Authors: Ella Nestingen, Sara Rivera, Gregory Dick
Session: Session 6 (3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 20
Abstract
Microcystis is a harmful cyanobacteria responsible for many of the Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) that are found all over the world. Microcystis releases harmful toxins called microcystin. HABs occur when colonies of algae begin to grow at an excessive rate and produce toxins that make drinking water unsafe, harming the environment and living organisms around them. Over the past decade, HABs in Western Lake Erie have been increasing and with a greater intensity. My project in identifying Microcystis strains in Western Lake Erie is part of a greater effort to understand what environments lead to a proliferation of Microcystis and the changes in HABs over the past decade. Even though they are the same species, genetic differences in Microcystis create different strains. Microcystis has toxin-producing and non-toxin-producing strains, and in different years, different strains are prevalent. Using samples taken from 4 locations across Western Lake Erie over the summer, I isolated colonies of microorganisms. I used microscopy to identify potential Microcystis colonies. The best candidates for Microcystis colonies were grown, DNA was extracted and sequenced. The newly identified Microcystis strains were added to the Western Lake Erie Culture Collection (WLECC) maintained by the Michigan Geomicrobiology Lab. The identification of new strains will be used for experiments to better understand bloom dynamics in changing environmental conditions.
