Rate of Phosphate Uptake by Periphyton in the Everglades
Abstract
Periphyton is an essential source of primary productivity and plays a major role in the removal and short-term storage of phosphorus in the Florida Everglades. In recent decades, runoff from the Everglades Agricultural Area has caused a serious nutrient pollution problem. In the oligotrophic wetlands, the increase of phosphorus leads to the growth of species that disrupts the ecosystem. In order to gauge the response of periphyton to these environmental changes, the rate of phosphate uptake by epipelon, metaphyton, and epiphyton mats are measured following spikes of either 150, 500, or 1000 ppb of potassium phosphate. The experiment was conducted twice, the first round measured the decline in phosphate every 30 minutes over a 150-minute period, and in the second round samples were taken every 10 minutes for 1 hour. The concentration of phosphate in the water samples was determined through the ascorbic acid method and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Dry weight of each periphyton mat was used to standardize the uptake rates of phosphate. Results indicate that uptake rates increase with initial phosphate concentration, and epiphyton have higher rates of phosphate uptake than the other types of periphyton. Determining potential sources of phosphorus fluxes, such as precipitation and canal openings, provided insight to the response of periphyton to changes within the Everglades ecosystem.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. J. Matthew Hoch
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Shermany Library
Start Date
4-5-2019 1:00 PM
End Date
4-5-2019 5:00 PM
Rate of Phosphate Uptake by Periphyton in the Everglades
Alvin Shermany Library
Periphyton is an essential source of primary productivity and plays a major role in the removal and short-term storage of phosphorus in the Florida Everglades. In recent decades, runoff from the Everglades Agricultural Area has caused a serious nutrient pollution problem. In the oligotrophic wetlands, the increase of phosphorus leads to the growth of species that disrupts the ecosystem. In order to gauge the response of periphyton to these environmental changes, the rate of phosphate uptake by epipelon, metaphyton, and epiphyton mats are measured following spikes of either 150, 500, or 1000 ppb of potassium phosphate. The experiment was conducted twice, the first round measured the decline in phosphate every 30 minutes over a 150-minute period, and in the second round samples were taken every 10 minutes for 1 hour. The concentration of phosphate in the water samples was determined through the ascorbic acid method and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Dry weight of each periphyton mat was used to standardize the uptake rates of phosphate. Results indicate that uptake rates increase with initial phosphate concentration, and epiphyton have higher rates of phosphate uptake than the other types of periphyton. Determining potential sources of phosphorus fluxes, such as precipitation and canal openings, provided insight to the response of periphyton to changes within the Everglades ecosystem.
