Record Details

The effect of dark period duration on synechococcus WH8102 growth rates

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title The effect of dark period duration on synechococcus WH8102 growth rates
Names Ibuye Balola, Marius (creator)
Halsey, Kimberly (advisor)
Date Issued 2015-06-04 (iso8601)
Note Honors Bachelor of Science (HBS)
Abstract Synechococcus is one of the most abundant groups of primary producers in the marine environment. They play a crucial role in the food web by being the main source of alimentary energy to many marine organisms that contribute to human nutriments. The ability of Synechococcus to use light as a source of energy through photosynthesis makes them important in the marine environment. Understanding how these photosynthetic organisms respond and adapt to fluctuations in their environment is important to studies of phytoplankton physiology. To date, no studies have been done that measured the effect of dark period duration on the growth rate of Synechococcus. This sparked our curiosity to examine how the duration of a dark period impacts the growth rate of the ecologically important cyanobacteria, Synechococcus sp. WH8102. We found that exposure of Synechococcus WH8102 to a dark period did not enhance growth rate at any light intensity studied thus far. More research is needed to more finely resolve the potential effects of dark period on growth in this organism. These results will provide insights to understand the global success of this organism in marine environments.
Genre Thesis
Topic Cyanobacteria
Identifier http://hdl.handle.net/1957/56013

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