How does algae form

These common causes together can often result in large algae blooms and surface coverage of your pond and lake. Several factors come into play. Not all algae are a hazard. Some algae — such as some types of plankton algae — play a vital role in the food chain and ecosystem of your pond or lake. However, some types of algae or algae-related conditions can pose a serious threat to you and all aquatic wildlife living in or near your body of water, such as:. Algae growth can occur naturally through light exposure, water movement and warm pond temperatures, or as a result of human-made pollution.

Often, algae growth is a side effect of several of these factors culminating at once:. Algae plays a fundamental role in the health of any body of water, but problems arise when blooms grow out of control or the wrong types of algae begin to grow.

The most prevalent algae on the planet today is blue-green algae, which feeds on a steady diet of phosphorus and nitrogen. Fertilizers and other products as well as poor sewage management have contributed to excess nutrients for many years. Practices and products are changing, but in most circumstances the damage has been done. Water bodies can have external sources of nutrients or with time they build up an internal supply of excess nutrients.

Along with food, algae require the right amount of light to thrive. Blue-green algae are so common because they have the ability to move throughout the water column and adapt to variable conditions. Second, many algae are unicellular, according to a article published in the journal Current Biology.

They also occur in a variety of forms and sizes. They can exist as single, microscopic cells; they can be macroscopic and multicellular; live in colonies; or take on a leafy appearance as in the case of seaweeds such as giant kelp.

Picoplankton are between 0. Lastly, algae are found in a range of aquatic habitats, both freshwater and saltwater. By virtue of these characteristics, the general term "algae" includes prokaryotic organisms — cyanobacteria , also known as blue-green algae — as well as eukaryotic organisms all other algal species.

These early cyanobacteria were engulfed by primitive plants cells sometime in the late Proterozoic, or in the early Cambrian period, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Prokaryotes include bacteria and archaea. They are simpler organisms without an organized cell structure and their DNA floats freely as a tangled mass within the cytoplasm. On the other hand, eukaryotes are all other living organisms: protists , plants, fungi What Are Protists?

Their cells are more organized. They have structures called organelles to execute a range of cellular functions and their DNA is housed in a central compartment called the nucleus. The majority of algae live in aquatic habitats Current Biology, Yet, the word "aquatic" is almost limited in its ability to encompass the diversity of these habitats. These organisms can thrive in freshwater lakes or in saltwater oceans. They can also endure a range of temperatures, oxygen or carbon dioxide concentrations, acidity and turbidity.

For example, giant kelp are found more than meters below the polar ice sheets, according to "Algae," while the unicellular green algal species Dunaliella salina is found in very salty, or hypersaline, environments such as the Dead Sea, according to a review article published in the journal Saline Systems.

Free-floating, mostly unicellular algae that live within illuminated regions of water are known as planktonic. Those that adhere to surfaces are known as benthic algae. Such algae grow on mud, stones, other algae and plants, or animals, according to "Algae.

Algae are also able to survive on land. Some unexpected places where they grow are tree trunks, animal fur, snow banks, hot springs according to "Algae" and in soil, including desert crusts Current Biology, Mostly, algae live independently in their various growth forms single cells, colonies, etc. One of the benefits of such relationships is that they enable algae to broaden the horizons of their habitats.

As a general rule, algae are capable of photosynthesis and produce their own nourishment by using light energy from the sun and carbon dioxide in order to generate carbohydrates and oxygen. In other words, most algae are autotrophs or more specifically, photoautotrophs reflecting their use of light energy to generate nutrients.

Scientists know that environmental conditions trigger HABs, such as warmer water temperatures in the summer and excessive nutrients from fertilizers or sewage waste brought by runoff, but are still learning more about why HABs occur. During a HAB, people can get exposed to toxins from fish they catch and eat, from swimming in or drinking the water, and from the air they breathe.

In recent years, there have been numerous instances of HABs in lakes that provide drinking water, like Lake Erie.

Importantly, cooking contaminated seafood or boiling contaminated water does not destroy the toxins. People rarely get sick from HAB-related toxins in commercial seafood, however, because state regulators closely monitored fisheries for HABs and close them during blooms.

People can prevent exposure to HABs by following local health advisories regarding the safety of recreationally caught seafood and drinking water sources. Depending on the type of algae, HABs can cause serious health effects and even death.

For example, eating seafood contaminated by toxins from algae called Alexandrium can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can cause paralysis and even death. The algae Pseudo-nitzschia produces a toxin called domoic acid that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, seizures, permanent short term memory loss, or death, when consumed at high levels.

HABs that occur in freshwater, like the Great Lakes and other drinking water sources, are dominated by the cyanobacteria Microcystis. This organism produces a liver toxin that can cause gastrointestinal illness as well as liver damage.