Algal bloom under the microscope

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hkv
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Algal bloom under the microscope

#1 Post by hkv » Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:46 pm

During the summertime, algal bloom is a problem in Sweden as well as in many other countries. The most common algae, often called Blue-Green algae, are not really algae, but belong to another group of organisms, namely Cyanobacteria. This summer we had an explosion of cyanobacteria and other algae blooming just close to where I live in Stockholm. In July and August, I collected water samples from the blooms and discovered there were both cyanobacteria and green algae to be found.

The first species is a colonial cyanobacterium called Gloeotrichia. It is relatively large and colonies can easily be seen as small dots on the surface of the water. During the night, they seem to sink and are no longer floating, but the reappear as soon as the sun starts to rise. I have tried to keep these alive in a water sample in my garage, but they are very difficult to culture and keep alive. I have tried various temperatures and lighting conditions, but all attempts have failed so far.⁣

The second set of images are a microscopic colony of the green algae called "Botryococcus braunii”. It measures about 140 micrometers across. Colonies are held together by a lipid (oily) biofilm and you can see old droplets around the edge of the colony. Typically around 30–40% of the dry weight of a colony is oil. Blooms of Botryococcus braunii have been shown to be toxic to other micro-organisms and fish but they may have other applications than being a source of food. Botryococcus braunii has great potential for algaculture because of the hydrocarbons it produces, which can be chemically converted into fuels. Botryococcus oils can be used as feedstock for hydrocracking in an oil refinery to produce octane (gasoline), kerosene, and diesel.

The third species I found in large amounts are another cyanobacteria, Aphanizomenon. Here photographed in darkfield illumination.

Gloeotrichia in darkfield illumination. Olympus UplanSAPO 4X objective. Focus stacked:

ImageCyanobacteria - Gloeotrichia by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

I call this one "Dancing ballerinas". Gloeotrichia in fluorescent illumination (ultraviolet). Olympus UplanXAPO 10X objective. Focus stacked:

ImageCyanobacteria - Gloeotrichia by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

Gloeotrichia in fluorescent illumination (ultraviolet). Olympus UplanXAPO 10X objective. Focus stacked:

ImageCyanobacteria - Gloeotrichia by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

Gloeotrichia in fluorescent illumination (ultraviolet). Olympus UplanXAPO 40X objective. Single shoot:

ImageCyanobacteria - Gloeotrichia by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

Gloeotrichia in fluorescent illumination (ultraviolet). Olympus UplanXAPO 40X objective. Single shoot:

ImagealgalblooCyanobacteria - Gloeotrichiam-4 by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

Botryococcus braunii in DIC. Close to crossed polarizers. Olympus UplanXAPO 60X Oil objective. Focus stacked:

ImageGreen alga - Botryococcus braunii by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

Botryococcus braunii in DIC. Relaxed polarizers with DIC slider slightly pulled out. Olympus UplanXAPO 60X Oil objective. Focus stacked:

ImageBotryococcus Braunii by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr

Aphanizomenon in darkfield illumination. Olympus UplanXAPO 20X objective. Focus stacked:

ImageCyanobacteria - Aphanizomenon by Håkan Kvarnström, on Flickr
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75RR
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#2 Post by 75RR » Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:09 pm

Wonderful images! :)
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mrsonchus
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#3 Post by mrsonchus » Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:17 pm

Never seen better images than these - outstanding. The objectives are quite a mouth-watering bunch too! :D
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#4 Post by Hobbyst46 » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:14 pm

Superb !

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#5 Post by Javier » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:28 pm

Amazing and beautiful images!

I enjoyed your explanation a lot. Thanks for sharing!

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#6 Post by Rapidray » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:33 pm

Wow...lol...those are absolutely some great photos!
Thank you for sharing them with us.
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Wes
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#7 Post by Wes » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:38 pm

Really excellent images, thank you for sharing!
hkv wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:46 pm
I have tried to keep these alive in a water sample in my garage, but they are very difficult to culture and keep alive. I have tried various temperatures and lighting conditions, but all attempts have failed so far.⁣
Have you tried adding a little bit of liquid plant fertilizer? Not sure if it would work for cyanobacteria but for regular microalgae it makes all the difference in the world.
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#8 Post by hkv » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:54 pm

Thank you all for your comments!

Wes wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:38 pm
Really excellent images, thank you for sharing!
hkv wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:46 pm
I have tried to keep these alive in a water sample in my garage, but they are very difficult to culture and keep alive. I have tried various temperatures and lighting conditions, but all attempts have failed so far.⁣
Have you tried adding a little bit of liquid plant fertilizer? Not sure if it would work for cyanobacteria but for regular microalgae it makes all the difference in the world.
Yes, I have. Actually I keep 8 different cultures of cyanobacteria at the moment and have had them isolated and alive since early spring. I am using AlgaGro from Carolina Biological which seems to work very well and they thrive and grow. However, the Gloeotrichia seems to be very picky and not sure what is needed to keep them happy.
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#9 Post by DonSchaeffer » Sun Oct 04, 2020 10:08 pm

Wow!

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#10 Post by Wes » Mon Oct 05, 2020 2:36 pm

hkv wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:54 pm
Thank you all for your comments!

Wes wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:38 pm
Really excellent images, thank you for sharing!
hkv wrote:
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:46 pm
I have tried to keep these alive in a water sample in my garage, but they are very difficult to culture and keep alive. I have tried various temperatures and lighting conditions, but all attempts have failed so far.⁣
Have you tried adding a little bit of liquid plant fertilizer? Not sure if it would work for cyanobacteria but for regular microalgae it makes all the difference in the world.
Yes, I have. Actually I keep 8 different cultures of cyanobacteria at the moment and have had them isolated and alive since early spring. I am using AlgaGro from Carolina Biological which seems to work very well and they thrive and grow. However, the Gloeotrichia seems to be very picky and not sure what is needed to keep them happy.
You might consider (unless you already have done so) BG-11 medium for culturing cyanobacteria, the variant without NaNO3 (based on a brief Google search for culturing Gloeotrichia but I suspect you've seen this too).

Kind regards
Wes
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#11 Post by hkv » Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:14 pm

Wes wrote:
Mon Oct 05, 2020 2:36 pm

You might consider (unless you already have done so) BG-11 medium for culturing cyanobacteria, the variant without NaNO3 (based on a brief Google search for culturing Gloeotrichia but I suspect you've seen this too).

Kind regards
Wes
Yes, sounds like a good idea. I have not tried BG-11. The question is how to get it at a reasonable cost. To mix it myself seems difficult as I cannot get all those chemicals as a private person with no lab.
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#12 Post by Wes » Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:21 pm

hkv wrote:
Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:14 pm
Wes wrote:
Mon Oct 05, 2020 2:36 pm

You might consider (unless you already have done so) BG-11 medium for culturing cyanobacteria, the variant without NaNO3 (based on a brief Google search for culturing Gloeotrichia but I suspect you've seen this too).

Kind regards
Wes
Yes, sounds like a good idea. I have not tried BG-11. The question is how to get it at a reasonable cost. To mix it myself seems difficult as I cannot get all those chemicals as a private person with no lab.
Its a shame too, a liter is about $50. Maybe contact cyanobacteria researchers in Sweden..

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#13 Post by PeteM » Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:36 pm

Gorgeous images, amazing skill. Thanks for posting.

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#14 Post by hkv » Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:43 pm

Wes wrote:
Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:21 pm
[
Its a shame too, a liter is about $50. Maybe contact cyanobacteria researchers in Sweden..

Image
Yes, perhaps. If I knew of any... I will see if I can get something from eBay or other low cost providers. Thermofisher is for pro labs and their prices are set accordingly. BG-11 for $50 a liter is more expensive than my favourite bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. ;)
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#15 Post by viktor j nilsson » Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:51 pm

I can ask some people at work, Håkan. I work at the aquatic ecology department in Lund, there are quite a few people there who work experimentally on algae.

And these photos are some of the best I've seen.

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#16 Post by hkv » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:37 pm

viktor j nilsson wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:51 pm
I can ask some people at work, Håkan. I work at the aquatic ecology department in Lund, there are quite a few people there who work experimentally on algae.

And these photos are some of the best I've seen.
Thank you so much Victor! What a great place to work. You must have access to a lot of samples to photograph in your daily work! Appreciate any tips on where to get BG-11. I looked at the Swedish school/university lab supplies, but they do not carry it.
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#17 Post by shawn perez » Sun Oct 11, 2020 9:38 am

Amazing shots
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#18 Post by viktor j nilsson » Mon Oct 12, 2020 9:19 am

hkv wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:37 pm
viktor j nilsson wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:51 pm
I can ask some people at work, Håkan. I work at the aquatic ecology department in Lund, there are quite a few people there who work experimentally on algae.

And these photos are some of the best I've seen.
Thank you so much Victor! What a great place to work. You must have access to a lot of samples to photograph in your daily work! Appreciate any tips on where to get BG-11. I looked at the Swedish school/university lab supplies, but they do not carry it.
I just had a talk with Karin Rengefors. She has worked on Gloeotrichia in the past, in particular together with Cayelan Carey, who is now at Virginia Tech. Karin reaffirmed your experience that Gloeotrichia was challenging to grow. They have been able to keep it alive for extended periods, but have not been able to keep in in culture.

Here is a publication where they kept Gloeotrichia for an extended amount of time:
https://carey.biol.vt.edu/wp-content/up ... on-Res.pdf

They do not use BG-11 in the lab here, but use the MWC medium (Guillard and Lorenzen, 1972), which is what they used in the publication above. She would gladly send you a bottle if you want to try it.

She also mentioned that they have sometimes been successful in rearing some previously challenging species by adding certain elements (she mentioned adding selenium when growing Gonyostomum) or adding a bottom sediment extract. I believe that this involved taking a sediment sample from the exact same site, filtering it, and autoclaving the resulting extract before adding it to the rearing container. She also mentioned that some species may require a larger container than the well-plates they typically use for easy-to-rear species.

The aquatic ecology department is a great place to be, for sure. Although I haven't really taken advantage of my work place as a source for objects to photograph. As a parent with small kids, time and energy tends to be the limiting factor, not subject availability... But it is pretty neat to have people around that care about microscopic life, and being able to attend seminars etc on such matters (while getting paid). I personally don't work professionaly on microscopic organisms (I mainly work on damselfly larvae, and, more recently, on fish).

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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#19 Post by hkv » Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:57 pm

Thank you very much Viktor for connecting me with Dr. Rengefors! Really appreciate it! She will indeed help me to get MWC and Z8 (I think it was called). This will allow me to keep my babies alive! I will study the paper you are referring to. Very interesting topic.
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Re: Algal bloom under the microscope

#20 Post by MZsarko » Wed Oct 28, 2020 5:29 am

I just got into this hobby and these pictures are an inspiration! I hope to someday do something half as good.

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