The Ecology Of Drift Algae In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida

111 Pages·2016·1.4 MB·English

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019
2004
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Julie Lynnae Liss
University of Central Florida
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Liss, Julie Lynnae, "The Ecology Of Drift Algae In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida" (2004). Electronic
Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 35.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/35
THE ECOLOGY OF DRIFT ALGAE
IN THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON, FLORIDA

by

JULIE LYNNAE LISS
B.S. University of Tampa, 2000

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Science
in the Department of Biology
in the College of Arts and Sciences
at the University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida

Summer Term
2004
ABSTRACT
To gain an understanding of the ecology of drift algae in the Indian River Lagoon system
along the east coast of central Florida, four questions were addressed: 1) What is the
composition and rate of accumulation of drift? 2) How much movement and turnover occurs
within drift accumulations? 3) Do growth rates differ for drift versus attached algae? 4) Is there
a difference in photosynthetic performance in drift versus attached algal species? Manipulative
field and laboratory experiments were conducted to address these questions with the green
macroalga Codium decorticatum and the red macroalga Gracilaria tikvahiae. Changes in
pigment concentration and biomass were used as indicators of acclimation from an attached to
drift state in Gracilaria tikvahiae and Codium decorticatum. Short-term physiological changes
as demonstrated by electron transport rate (ETR) were also used as indications of acclimation
from an attached to drift state in C. decorticatum. Composition and rate of accumulation of drift
varied by season. While both transport and turnover of drift occurred, turnover within drift
accumulations occurred at low rates and was significantly lower in the spring during decreased
flow rates. There were no significant differences in growth or pigment concentrations in drift
versus attached G. tikvahiae or C. decorticatum. In addition, there were no apparent
physiological acclimations to a drift state in C. decorticatum.
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To my family, friends and Mr. Step Aside Butch,
thank you for everything! “1,4,3”.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Funding for this research was provided by the University of Central Florida’s Department
of Biology, a Florida Sea Grant award to Dr. Linda Walters, and NOAA / National Undersea
Research Center grants to Dr. Linda Walters and Dr. Kevin Beach.
I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Linda Walters, for her guidance and
encouragement over the course of my studies at UCF. Thank you for not only your personal
attention, but for the variety of research and professional endeavors that you have made available
to me. To Dr. Kevin Beach, thank you for lighting the “phycological fire” in me so many years
ago. Your advice and training on, as well as use of, PAM was invaluable. Last but not least,
thanks to Dr. John Weishampel for additional guidance in everything from coursework to editing
to poster printing. You have all made my graduate experience an enjoyable one.
To my labmates, fellow graduate students and the undergraduates who donated time and
muscle to this research, I sincerely thank you. Thanks to Jason Holloway and Dr. Pedro
Quintana-Ascensio for advice on data analysis. Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to the
faculty and staff of the Biology Department for your support. I could not have finished this
research without your help.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES..........................................................................................................vii
LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................ix
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.................................................................................1
1.1 Biology of Unattached Algae...............................................................................................1
1.2 Ecology of Drift Communities.............................................................................................6
1.3 Physiology of Macroalgae...................................................................................................9
1.4 Drift Algae in the Indian River Lagoon.............................................................................10
1.5 Biology of Gracilaria tikvahiae..........................................................................................11
1.6 Biology of Codium decorticatum.......................................................................................13
CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODS...................................................................14
2.1 Study Sites.........................................................................................................................14
2.2 Composition and Rate of Accumulation of Drift...............................................................16
2.3 Transport of Drift Rhodophytes.........................................................................................17
2.4 Turnover Within Drift Accumulations...............................................................................17
2.5 Growth of Drift vs. Attached Algae...................................................................................18
2.6 Photosynthetic Performance of Attached vs. Drift C. decorticatum.................................22
2.7 Laboratory Controls...........................................................................................................24
2.8 Data Analysis.....................................................................................................................25
CHAPTER THREE: RESULTS.......................................................................................27
3.1 Composition and rate of accumulation of drift..................................................................27
3.2 Transport of drift rhodophytes...........................................................................................38
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3.3 Turnover within drift accumulations.................................................................................45
3.4 Growth of drift vs. attached algae......................................................................................54
3.5 Photosynthetic performance of attached vs. drift C. decorticatum....................................67
CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION...................................................................................80
4.1 Summary.............................................................................................................................80
4.2 Drift Accumulation and Composition.................................................................................80
4.3 Transport of Drift Rhodophytes..........................................................................................84
4.4 Turnover Within Drift Accumulations................................................................................86
4.5 Growth of Drift vs. Attached Algae....................................................................................87
4.6 Photosynthetic Performance of Attached vs. Drift C. decorticatum..................................88
4.7 Conclusions.........................................................................................................................90
LIST OF REFERENCES..................................................................................................92
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Diagram of Gracilaria tikvahiae and Codium decorticatum.......................................12
Figure 2: Site map showing two research sites............................................................................15
Figure 3: Schematic of sample array for field experiments.........................................................21
Figure 4: Seasonal composition of drift algae in Mosquito Lagoon............................................29
Figure 5: Seasonal composition of drift algae in the Indian River..............................................30
Figure 6: Flow rates during net trials at two sites........................................................................32
Figure 7: Mean wind speeds during net trials..............................................................................36
Figure 8: Transport of drift algae after 12 hours at two sites.......................................................39
Figure 9: Transport of drift algae after 24 hours at two sites.......................................................39
Figure 10: Mean flow rates during transport trials......................................................................41
Figure 11: Mean wind speeds during transport trials...................................................................43
Figure 12: Turnover within drift accumulations at two sites.......................................................46
Figure 13: Mean flow rates at two sites during turnover trials....................................................49
Figure 14: Mean wind speeds during turnover trials...................................................................52
Figure 15: Growth in percent per day for C. decorticatum during spring...................................55
Figure 16: Chlorophyll a concentrations for C. decorticatum during spring..............................57
Figure 17: Chlorophyll b concentrations for C. decorticatum during spring..............................59
Figure 18: Chlorophyll a:b ratios for C. decorticatum during spring..........................................61
Figure 19: Total carotenoid content for C. decorticatum during spring......................................63
Figure 20: Growth in percent per day for G. tikvahiae during summer......................................65
Figure 21: Chlorophyll a concentrations for G. tikvahiae during summer..................................68
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Figure 22: Growth in percent per day for G. tikvahiae during winter.........................................70
Figure 23: Chlorophyll a concentrations for G. tikvahiae during winter....................................72
Figure 24: ETR for field C. decorticatum before and after manipulation...............................74
max
Figure 25: Mean α for field C. decorticatum before and after manipulation...............................76
Figure 26 Mean I for field C. decorticatum before and after manipulation...............................78
k
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Descriptions of treatments and water depths for growth experiments..........................19
Table 2: Two-way ANOVA results for drift accumulation.........................................................31
Table 3: Two-way ANOVA results for Mosquito Lagoon flow rates during net trials...............33
Table 4: Two-way ANOVA results for Indian River flow rates during net trials.......................34
Table 5: Tukey HSD Post-Hoc results for flow rates in Mosquito Lagoon.................................35
Table 6: Two-way ANOVA results for wind speeds during net trials........................................37
Table 7: Two-way ANOVA results for transport of drift algae over 12 hours............................40
Table 8: Two-way ANOVA results for transport of drift algae over 24 hours............................40
Table 9: Two-way ANOVA results for flow rates during transport trials...................................42
Table 10: Two-way ANOVA results for wind speeds during transport trials.............................44
Table 11: Two-way ANOVA results for turnover of drift algae.................................................47
Table 12: Tukey HSD Post-Hoc results for turnover of drift algae.............................................48
Table 13: Two-way ANOVA results for flow rates during turnover trials..................................50
Table 14: Tukey HSD Post-Hoc results for flow rates during turnover trials.............................51
Table 15: Two-way ANOVA results for wind speeds during turnover trials..............................53
Table 16: Two-way ANOVA results for growth of C. decorticatum in spring...........................56
Table 17: Two-way ANOVA results for chlorophyll a content of C. decorticatum in spring....58
Table 18: Two-way ANOVA results for chlorophyll b content of C. decorticatum in spring....60
Table 19: Two-way ANOVA results for chlorophyll a:b ratios of C. decorticatum in spring....62
Table 20: Two-way ANOVA results for carotenoid content of C. decorticatum in spring.........64
Table 21: Two-way ANOVA results for growth of G. tikvahiae in summer. ...........................66
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