TITLE: Copper: Algicide or Nutrient

AUTHOR: Junie Wong

SCHOOL: Greenfield High School

SCHOOL ADDRESS: One Lenox Avenue, Greenfield, MA

It is known that small concentrations of copper, in parts per billion (ppb), can be utilized by algae as a nutrient. In great concentrations, copper can be used as an algicide to rid troublesome algae. If copper, in small concentrations, can be used to grow algae, and in a greater concentration can be used to kill algae, what happens to algae when subjected to concentrations of copper in between? In my study, I investigated the effects that different concentrations of copper had on Anabaena. I tested the copper concentrations present in algae-copper testing solutions and determined the extent to which the algae absorbed the copper ions. I also tested the chlorophyll content and the optical density of each solution to investigate possible relationships between algal growth and copper concentration. My investigation revealed patterns indicating strong relationships between the amount of chlorophyll present an Anabaena and the amount of copper introduced.