Common Algae of the Northeast (Part 1)

Exert from final thesis: Common Algae of the Lake George Watershed, 2008 Please follow;   Future post will include further identification of common algal forms common to the Northeast United States.  

What are algae?

Algae are plant-like organisms that live in aquatic environments but can also be found in damp soils, snow, and ice or even attached to the backs of snapping turtles. The two main forms of algae that are seen are filamentous algae and diatoms.  

 Filamentous algae can be string-like, green, blue-green, red, or brown. They can feel slimy or like wet cotton and can be found on plants, rocks, wood, or floating in or on the water. 

 Diatoms can be globular as well as other shapes, green, blue-green, red, brown, or black, and can feel slimy.  They can look like slime, rust, or hair attached to rocks and can be found on filamentous algae, plants, rocks, wood, and attached to wildlife. 

 Algae can often be confused with different types of plants including mosses, lichens and liverworts.  All of these plants are found in wet environments, but have visible stems, roots and leaves whereas algae do not. 

 Algae are important because many animals feed on them including aquatic insects and fish.  Aquatic insects that eat algae include snails, mayfly nymphs, stonefly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, and many others.  Many fish in-turn eat these insects, but also eat algae; including darters, daces, and suckers.   A little alga is natural, but excessive amounts may not be and are referred to as a ‘bloom’.   An algal bloom is when the amount of algae within a specific location grows rapidly, and covers a large area. 

 An algal bloom can range in color from green, blue-green, brown to red, and have a distinct odor or be odorless. It can float or attach to plants, rocks, sand, docks, and logs, occur in the spring, summer, or fall and can be toxic or non-toxic.  An algae bloom can clog intake pipes, discourage swimming and recreational activities, make the water undrinkable, prevent fish from spawning and kill fish or other aquatic organisms. 

 Like other plants, algae require suitable growing conditions including adequate nutrient inputs and light.  Nutrients can be added to a body of water through storm water runoff, fertilizers, grass clippings, mulch, or by other means.  This can often create suitable habitat for algae and lead to a bloom.

Chaetosphaeridium sp.

Division: Chlorophyta

Identification:

 Field:  Green mass often attached to mosses

and other algae. Will often become dislodged

and float free. 

Microscopically:  Hard to misidentify, due to nature of cells.

Round, green, with long sheathed bristle. 

 Habitat:  Found in streams and in large bodies of water

floating in the water column. 

Facts:   Will sometimes be connected together by a mucilage

tube.  

Future post will include further identification of common algal forms common to the Northeast United States.  

 Please feel free to contact me.  Corrina Parnapy:corrinaparnapy@yahoo.com, (518) 791-3256.   I am currently seeking a position in Vermont/ New Hampshire.