Climate change poses a growing threat to freshwater ecosystems and water quality. This dissertation examines the relationship between changes in climate and two key water quality parameters: the transport of nitrogen within rivers, referred to as nitrogen loading, and river temp…
This master thesis addresses a large-scale biogeographical question, the distribution and evolutionary history of a marine species complex with a vast distribution in the northern hemisphere. This complex includes two intertidal brown macroalgae, Fucus spiralis and Fucus guiryi,…
Microalgae are a diverse group of oxygenic photosynthetic microorganisms which show great promise as a source of biofuel. However, significant challenges still remain before microalgae can be considered a viable source of biofuel. The main current challenges are nutrient sourcin…
A mesocosm experiment was carried out in a Norwegian fjord near Bergen in May 2006, with the main objective being the study of the effects of increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 (and associated effects such as increased acidification) on blooms of natural marine coastal…
Photosynthetic Microbial Fuel Cell (p-MFC) research aims to develop devices containing photosynthetic micro-organisms to produce electricity. Micro-organisms within the device photosynthesise carbohydrates under illumination, and produce reductive equivalents (excess electrons) …
This thesis covers work carried out on algae bioreactors as a tertiary treatment process for wastewater treatment. The process was primarily assessed by the removal of Phosphorus and Nitrogen as an alternative to chemical and bacterial removal. Algal bioreactors would have the a…
The target of this study was the investigation of biofuel and/or biochemical production from microalgae in growth medium or its lipids over heterogenous catalyst. The primary aim was to study the conversion of 6 wt. % N. Oculata into biofuels without harvesting and dewatering ov…
This study explores 20 years of Minnesota regional phosphorus (P) management data across agricultural landscapes and how these are modeled by the Minnesota Phosphorus Index (MNPI). Nutrient-loading and farm management records from 1999-2019 were compiled across 17 different Minn…
Cryptic diversity, alternating life histories, ecological plasticity, and evolutionary lability of the few morphological characters available for identification of expanded red blades in the Family Kallymeniaceae have steered multiple studies to focus on a molecular-assisted alp…
Cyanobacteria offer promise as alternative microorganisms to heterotrophic bacteria like Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) because of their ability for oxygenic photosynthesis, faster growth compared to plants, high solar conversion efficiencies, and smaller genomes more amenable to …
Seaweeds have been receiving increased interest from the fisheries and aquaculture industries in recent years, with red algae continuing to be one of the more important components of seaweed aquaculture representing 54% of the harvested biomass (around US 6.3 billion). These sea…