Date of Award

Spring 6-7-2019

Document Type

Honors Project

University Scholars Director

Christine Chaney

First Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Tim A Nelson

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Eric S Long

Keywords

eutrophication, Ulva, taxonomy, Pacific Northwest

Abstract

Ulva is a genus of marine green algae native to many of the world’s coastlines and is especially difficult to identify via traditional methods such as dichotomous keying. This project aims to streamline taxonomic classification of Ulva species through DNA sequence analysis. Local samples of Ulva were obtained from Puget Sound, Seattle, WA, and two target genes (rbcL and its1) were amplified via PCR and sequenced for comparative analysis between samples. Ulvoids have a detrimental impact on marine ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest due to their role in eutrophication-caused algal blooms, and reliable identification can help inform conservation efforts to mitigate these effects. An appendix discusses this research in the context of the Christian faith.

Krumm_HP.pdf (375 kB)
Poster for SPU's Erickson Conference

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