Algae and Trout: Beauty and the Beast

1
Algae and TroutBeauty and the Beast

• Russ Rhodes
• An algal lover from
• Springfield, Missouri

2
Plan for the Evening

• What are algae (size, color, clothes, shapes,
  mobility, contents)?
• What are their requirements?
• Where do you find algae?
• What is the relationship between algae and trout?
• What are some problems with algae?
• Quiz
• Open discussion

3
Size Range

• Microscopic
• Macroscopic

4
Color

• Green
• Golden brown
• Reddish brown
• Brown
• Red
• Blue green

5
Clothes (External Coverings)

• Cellulose
• Protein
• Calcium carbonate (chalk)
• Glass
• Naked

6
Shapes

• Spherical
• Spindle
• Colonial
• Filamentous (thread-like)

7
Mobility

• Attached (no mobility)
• Attached (mobility)
• Swimming (small oars)
• Floating (internal air sacs)
• Creeping (internal aids

8
Contents of Algae

• Starch
• Protein
• Oils

9
Requirements for Growth

• Sunlight
• Carbon dioxide
• Nitrogen (nitrates, ammonia, and gaseous
  nitrogen)
• Phosphorus (phosphates and organic phosphates
• Other nutrients (silicon, magnesium, etc.

10
Where do you find Algae?

• Ice and snow
• Hot springs
• Any body of water
• Lakes
• Oceans
• Any kind of substrate, sand, mud, rock, other
  algae, trees,
• animals

11
Relationships of Algae to their Environment

• Primary producer, oxygen source for world, food
  source for most oceanic and much of the
  freshwater animals
• Habitat producer, site for colonization, refuge

12
What about Trout?

• Trout come in a variety of colors and types also
• They have wide distribution, world wide
• Trout consume a wide variety of animals
• Especially scud

13
Some Types of Trout

• Brook trout
• Brown trout
• Rainbow trout
• Lake trout
• Cutthroat
• Bull trout

• Apache trout
• Dolly varden
• Gila trout
• Golden trout
• Splake
• Speckled trout

14
Scud (Gammarus, an amphipod)

• Small invertebrate
• Grazer
• Habitat
• Rocks, sand, algae

15
Some Genera of Diatoms Eaten by Scud

• Achnanthes
• Amphora
• Cocconeis
• Cyclotella
• Diatoma
• Fragilaria
• Gomphonema

• Gryosigma
• Melosira
• Navicula
• Nitzschia
• Opephora
• Rhoicosphenia
• Synedra

16
Diatoms, Food for Scud
17
Whoa there, whats this?

• Animal?
• Plant?
• Mineral?

The Blob!!!
18
Problems with Algae

• Algal toxins
• Hypoxia
• Smell
• Taste
• Competition

19
(No Transcript)
20
Hypoxia
21
And now to the Blob

• It was a plant!
• The species is Didymosphenia geminata.
• The plant type is a diatom.
• World wide distribution
• Similar problems in Washington, Canada, England,
  Arkansas

22
Canada

• Didymosphenia has been reported to grow to
  nuisance levels in a number of river systems
  around the province especially throughout
  central Vancouver Island, where it was first
  reported in 1989. It has also been found in
  significant quantities in the Bulkley, South
  Thompson, Kettle, Columbia and Kootenay Rivers.

23
The Blob in Arkansas
24
Didymosphenia geminata

• Colonial diatom
• Cells divide
• Attachment as gelatinous stalks
• Massive plant
• Cells (200-300 microns long)

25
Growth of Didymosphenia

• Small seed plants on rocks
• Probable needs for massive growth
• Bright sunlight
• Slack water
• Reduced phosphate

26
Back at the Tailrace
27
The Quiz

• The title Algae and Trout
• The subtitle Beauty and the Beast
• Which is which?

or
28
Thanks for having me!

• Many of the great photos were courtesy of Scott
  Branyan and Bob Britzke
• The colorful diatom was courtesy of Mike
  Samworth, UK