Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2003

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Louda, J. William

Abstract

The phytoplankton community of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, has been studied and algal divisions were identified. Chemotaxonomy is a process that assigns taxonomic divisions based on ratios of biomarker pigments to chlorophyll, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Microscopic counts of taxonomic groups were compared to chemotaxonomic groups for lake samples for one year. Lab cultures of cyanobacteria grown at irradiance of 2 to 500 micromoles photons m-2 s-1 (muEinsteins) suggested that internal ratios of chlorophyll to both zeaxanthin and echinenone could be used to estimate abundance of cyanobacteria, as either alone missed certain populations. Lake water samples showed that both methods agreed that diatoms and cyanobacteria were the dominant groups, with moderate number of green algae and few dinoflagellates. HPLC evidence revealed cryptophytes more frequently than did microscopy. This suggested that cryptophytes may be more significant than has been previously reported.

Extent

123 p.

Comments

FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2003.|Charles E. Schmidt College of Science|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Identifier

FADT13044

Format

pdf

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