Diversity of Phytoplankton Behind the Glass Curtain: What Grows in Hilo Bay if Diatoms are Inhibited

Project PI: Anna Baker Mikkelsen

Project Advisor: Dr. Jason Adolf

For my project I looked at phytoplankton diversity in Hilo Bay, Hawaii. Hilo Bay has high nutrient levels and is dominated by diatoms. For this project, Germanium dioxide (GeO2) was added to water samples from Hilo to inhibit the growth of diatoms allowing for other phytoplankton species to grow. Chl. a and biovolume was measured for samples with and without GeO2. We used the Scanning Electron Microscope to visually identify phytoplankton species. We observed a shift in community structure from the diatom-dominated culture to a community of smaller sized phytoplankton, mainly flagellates and dinoflagellates. This study will help identify a true diversity of phytoplankton in the diatom-dominated Hilo Bay.

Project completed