Quinn, Sevi, and Gusto

Video
● Algae decomposes, stench
1. What could have caused a recent increase in the amount of algae washing up on
the beach? Brainstorm a list of possibilities.
● Eutrophication
○ Runoff of fertilizers from farms: phosphorus and nitrogen
○ Pollution from cities; sewage adds nitrogen and phosphorous
● Nearby stream that may contribute to algae issue (phosphorous)
○ Industry-nitrogen oxides from autos and smokestacks (toxic chemicals, metals
flow into bays/estuaries
Invasive species:
○ Effects of phosphorous are aggravated by the invasive zebra distribution of
phosphorus by invasive zebra and quagga mussels
● (Maybe) Exacerbated by the higher temperatures caused by climate change

2. Choose three of your ideas from the above list and write a testable hypothesis
for each one. Describe the data that you would need to test each hypothesis.
(Remember that a testable hypothesis is a possibly false statement that could explain
an observation. For example, when Matt and Flora see the brown piles, they think it
might be fecal material. eir testable hypothesis would be that if there had been a recent
sewage leak, then it could have resulted in the foul smell and rotting piles. ey
immediately falsify this hypothesis when they nd out from Matt’s parents that the piles
are made up of algae and that they have been forming for several years.)

Hypothesis Data

If there had been runoff of fertilizers ● Samples of phosphorus and

from farms, then eutrophication could nitrogen from lake
have occured, causing the dense ● Information of fertilizer use
growth of algae and cyanobacteria. from nearby farms
These organisms then die, from which
they float down and bacteria
eat/consume them, depleting the
oxygen in the lake.

If the nearby stream, Point Creek, is ● Water samples from Point

adding phosphorus to Lake Michigan Creek and from Lake Michigan
because it is only a mile downstream, in order to compare the levels
then the nutrient overload might be and their correlation (not
causing/caused eutrophication in causation--correlation doesn’t
which an excess of organisms such as prove causation)
algae and cyanobacteria grow. These ● Analyzation of rate of the flow
organisms die, and bacteria consume of water/how the water is
then, depleting the oxygen in the lake. flowing into the lake
● State of life at Point Creek (Is it
an oxygen depleted zone?) in
order to compare/contrast with
the state of life in Lake
Michigan
● Analyzing nearby farms and
urban areas that might be
causing runoff of nutrients;
location might assist in figuring
out the flow of nutrients and
where they originate from

If the effects of phosphorous are ● Analyze quantity of zebra and

aggravated by the invasive zebra and quagga mussels
quagga mussels, then the growth of ● Observe the conditions of the
areas around them
organisms such as algae and
● Compare Lake Michigan to a
cyanobacteria could be caused by lake without invasive zebra
them. and quagga mussels to
observe whether the quagga
mussels and zebra mussels
AREN’T present but
phosphorus is
●

If higher temperatures caused by ● Examine the type of algae

climate change have impacted Lake growing in Lake Michigan
Michigan, they might be impacting the ● Research whether they are a
type that tends to prefer
growth of harmful algae blooms
warmer water
● Analyze the temperature of
water now compared to the
earliest record of the
temperature of water available
for Lake Michigan and/or
compare the temperature of
the water to the average
temperature of water over the
past few decades
● Observe the conditions of the
algae/growth habits in order to
observe if the warmer
temperatures align with the
characteristics of the impact of
warm water on harmful algae
blooms, as warmer
temperatures inhibit water from
mixing, causing algae to grow
 thicker/faster, warmer water
permits algae to flow to
surface easier, algal blooms
absorbs sunlight, causing
water to warm (until
overgrowth reduces sunlight)
● With this knowledge
(absorption/reduction, growth),
can analyze algae conditions
(ex- death of algae, not as
more due to sunlight) and if
there is a correlation to warmer
temperatures; prove cause
after examination of other
causes such as eutrophication

Part II – Could It Be Phosphorus?

Flora received an email response from her Aunt Janet.
Hi Flo,
Great to hear from you. Yes, the algae in question are called Cladophora glomerata. This species of
algae grows on rocks just out in the water along the shore and has had a long history here in the Great
Lakes, but has recently become a problem (again) for many beaches across the basin. Back in the 1960s
and ’70s, a large increase in phosphorus pollution in the Great Lakes caused the algal growth to
proliferate. Phosphorus is a limiting nutrient for algae in freshwater ecosystems. In the 1970s, laws were
put in place to reduce the phosphorus inputs and the problem all but disappeared.
I need to run—meeting in 5 mins. More later.

Love Aunt Janet

Since Matt and Flora had internet access at the cottage, they decided to investigate further.
“Maybe there’s another source of phosphorus pollution in our lake?” suggested Matt. “Yeah,
good idea. Let’s see if we can nd any data on recent phosphorus levels,” said Flora.
Question

3. Examine the gure below and predict what the data would look like if phosphorus in
Lake Michigan is the cause of the recent excessive growth (bloom) in algae.

Phosphorus levels would have increased over time due to increased input rather than
decreased.

Figure 1. Total phosphorus entering Lake Michigan. (Redrawn with data from Madenjian et al., 2002.)
NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE
“A Trip to the Beach” by Gass and Eberhardt Page 2

Part III – More about Algae

“So if it’s not phosphorus then what could it be?” asked Matt.
“We know that algal growth is limited by light so maybe something is going on there. Let’s look
into this and see what we nd,” said Flora.
Flora found out that the Great Lakes also have phytoplankton, single-celled algae that oat
around in water and can a eggtc water clarity. She followed this lead and found some data
on what was happening with phytoplankton in the lake (see Figure 2).
Question
4. Describe in words what has happened to phytoplankton in Lake Michigan.
The springtime primary production, or the rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce
net useful chemical energy has decreased since the mid-1990s, as the average amount of
phytoplankton collected in samples decreased over the years. Secchi disk readings from a
school ship in the Lake Michigan from a report that detailed 20 years of data on the water clarity
of the Lake show the the water clarity and thus absence of phytoplankton. These readings use a
Secchi disk, which is a circle separated into black and white quarters, and as the disk is lowered
into the lake, the depth at which the difference between black and white quarters can’t be
discerned is recorded. The differentiation between the black and white sections were discernible
down to 6-8 meters at the inception of the ship program, showing their absence/diminishment.

Questions

5. Given Flora’s nding, ll in the missing data on the axes of Figure 4 below to depict the
data
The depth should be increasing over the years to align with the diminishment of the
phytoplankton, and thus increase in water clarity due to their lack of presence until the time of
the increased algae growth.
6. What factors in the environment would make one kind of alga increase while another
decreases?
Factors such as water temperature and temperature based preferences, levels of nutrients like
phosphorus and nitrogen, and concentration of sunlight that varies by location (ex: sunlight can
be blocked by sediments that are washed into waterways and cloud water).

Question 7 response (Second response to Q6):

Factors such as sunlight due to increased clarity generated by organisms (mussels are able to
use their filter systems to remove an adequate amount of phytoplankton and increase the water
clarity of the lake, which permits more light for the cladophora; remove the phytoplankton,
allows cladophora; overgrowth blocks clarity; remove, allow for growth), and nutrient
recycling/movement of nutrients (mussels may be recycling phosphorus in the water and
transitioning it from the water column down to the lake bed, and feeding the Cladophora/fueling
their excessive growth, can then cause death of fish and other organisms, creation of oxygen
depleting zones).
----
NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE
“A Trip to the Beach” by Gass and Eberhardt
Page 4

Part IV – The Rest of the Story

As Matt and Flora were looking over the information that they had found and trying to make
Question
7. Examine the information about these two species of filter feeding mussels. Return to
Question 6 and reconsider using this new information.
Additional Questions
1. Speculate about how water temperature changes could influence the success of
Cladophora.
Water temperature changes, such as the warming of bodies of water due to climate
change could influence the success of Cladophora due to the fact that warmer
temperatures could inhibit water from mixing, permitting algae to grow thicker and faster,
warmer waters allow small organisms to move in an easy manner, and warmer water
allows algae to float to the surface at a faster speed. Additionally, since mussels are
able to use their filter systems to remove an adequate amount of phytoplankton
and increase the water clarity of the lake, which emits more light for the
cladophora, the cladophora are able to absorb more sunlight and increase the
temperature of the water even further, and thus promote growth until overgrowth
ultimately blocks sunlight.
Do you think recent changes in atmospheric carbon could play a role in problems with
algae? Why or why not?
Yes, I do think that recent changes in atmospheric carbon could play a role in problems
with algae, specifically in correlation to the excessive growth of algae. I know from my
research of algae that they need CO2 to survive. Therefore, the increase in levels of
carbon dioxide in the air could cause excessive growth of algae due to the conducive
conditions for their survival, alongside the increase in temperature that allows for their
success in growth.
2. What actions could we take in response to these problems with Cladophora?
I think we can (1) take actions in advocacy and limitation of climate change, (2) redirect the
presence of zebra and quagga mussels by perhaps introducing a predatory species as a
testament to biological control, which is the introduction of a harmless species to diminish a
detrimental species (3) after the introduction of a predatory species, reintroduce the
phytoplankton in order to affect water clarity and limit the opportunity for more light for the
cladophora.
3. What is the likely interaction between zebra and quagga mussels?
Most likely, they attempt to overpower one another in order to gain dominance and an increased
presence through belligerency. I believe this because of the data figures showing the Lake
Michigan Zebra density and the Lake Michigan Quagga Mussel Density. For instance, in 2000,
the year that the Quagga mussel invaded, the Zebra mussel possessed a higher density. By
2005, the Quagga mussel density overpowered the Zebra mussel density. By 2010, the Quagga
mussel density overwhelming overpowered the entirety of Lake Michigan, with Zebra mussels
possessing no density/concentration.
4. What characteristics make an invasive species successful?
 An invasive species is successful if they can possess the ability to diminish the
population of native species, such as phytoplankton, in favor of efficiency and excessive
growth of other species that creates a sense of need for dependence on them. They are
successful if they can adapt quickly and alter the conditions for existing species.
Therefore, in order to execute, they have to be able to withstand conditions of new
environments, such as different levels of salinity, thoroughly overwhelm a species
through their sense of fruitfulness, and be willing to generate a sense of growth that is
correlated to a need for them.
5. What are the likely economic impacts of the mussel invasion?
The mussel central problem for the economy of Lake Michigan. Revenue for tourism will go
down tremendously, causing the economy to be negatively impacted. The mussels are fueling
the algae growth and eventually the algae will die and bacteria will decompose the algae and
deplete the oxygen,causing dead zones. This will also heavily impact the economy because the
fish population will decrease, thus diminishing revenue from the fishing industry.

6. Non-native Asian carp are very close to entering Lake Michigan from the Mississippi
River watershed where they have caused huge changes to the ecosystem. These are
voracious filter feeders. Speculate on what may happen to the ecosystem of Lake
Michigan if these new fish invade.

Fish are able to use their filter systems to remove an adequate amount of phytoplankton, similar
to mussels, and increase the water clarity of the lake, which might permit more light for the
cladophora. They might remove the phytoplankton, which might allow cladophora to grow and
then overgrow, die, and create an oxygen depleted zone.