Growth and cellular characteristics of the Desmid, Cosmarium under high Potassium Nitrate conditions

BIO-P04 Growth and cellular characteristics of the Desmid, Cosmarium under high Potassium Nitrate conditions. Vieira, F., Jernigan, A., Bishop, C., and Horton, M.D. Department of Collage of Natural & Health, Southeastern University, 100 Longfellow Boulevard, Lakeland, Fl, 33801 United States. Cosmarium are a unique unicellular green alga known for its distinct character structure and the critical role it plays in the environment. Studies show that Cosmarium are sensitive to changes in environmental factors including nitrogen, phosphate, pH, temperature and light. It is hypothesized that there is no significant difference between Cosmarium cells grown in high level of potassium nitrate from those grown under normal concentration in terms of the number of cells that have grown weekly for 4 weeks, the average length of cells after 4 weeks of growth, and other visually observable cellular features. This study aims to determine the effects of high levels of potassium nitrate on the growth and cellular characteristics of the desmid, Cosmarium under controlled laboratory conditions. In this study, Cells were monitored weekly for 4 weeks using a Nikon light microscope. Micrographs from 10 replicate samples for each treatment were used for cell counting and length measurements using Image J analysis software. The results indicate that high levels of potassium nitrate do not favor the growth of Cosmarium cells and therefore the null hypothesis is not supported. Potassium is a major metabolic requirement for algae affecting enzyme kinetics that control photosynthesis and other cellular processes. Nonetheless, due to its ionic nature, its uptake is influenced by electrical properties within the cell indicating that the amount available is crucial to maintain the cell's physiology such as the sodium potassium pump. Future plans are to use local Cosmarium from the lakes and ponds of Florida. (Funding provided by Southeastern University).