Hobbies And Interests
Naturally Occurring Algae
In their 1971 paper published in "American Midland Naturalist," North Carolina State University researchers L.A. Whitford and Yoon C. Kim identified 84 genera -- category of biological classification -- of algae that occur naturally in Colorado. Limiting their sample collection to the water bodies of the Rocky Mountain National Park, Whitford and Kim identified Dinobryon cylindricum, Ceratium hirundinella and Volvox aureus as the most abundant algae species in Bear Lake. Additional species -- Asterionella, Melosira, Tabellaria and Peridinium -- were also present, as well as 30 other species of unrelated algae.
Cultivated Algae
The Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels is a research cooperative whose member institutions include Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The center has conducted long-term studies on the capacity of about 300 different species of green algae to be refined into biofuel, an alternative to fossil fuels. In conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, university researchers are working to find the best species of algae -- those that produce the greatest volume of oil at the fastest rate. Researchers believe that the oil that accumulates on algae colonies can be extracted and refined into a diesel-like fuel that will power vehicles and industrial processes in the future.
Snow Algae
Snow algae, also known as watermelon snow, are found in the mountainous areas of Colorado. Snow algae appear reddish or pink and give off a faint scent of watermelon. Snow algae are freshwater algae that thrive in very cold temperatures. In their 1967 paper published in the "Canadian Journal of Botany," Janet Stein and Clifford Amundsen identified the snow algae species Carteria nivale, Chlamydomonas nivalis, Chodatella brevispina, Chodatella granulosa, Scotiella cryophila, Scotiella nivalis, Scotiella polyptera, Koliella nivalis and Chionaster nivalis in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Invasive Species of Algae
An invasive species is a nonnative species of plant or animal introduced into a habitat, either knowingly or accidentally, by an outside force, person or activity. Toxic golden algae are an invasive species in Colorado. Golden algae can reproduce quickly, resulting in a large-scale "bloom" in certain water bodies. The toxins golden algae produce affect gill-breathing organisms such as fish, and a rapid-onset algae bloom can result in a fish kill, in which hundreds of fish die suddenly. Fish kills can quickly deplete populations of certain fish species and unbalance the equilibrium of the local ecosystem.