8110

8110 ALGAE
Algae are unicellular to multicellular plants that occur in fresh
water, marine water, and damp terrestrial environments. All
algae posses chlorophyll, the green pigment essential for photo-
synthesis. Algae may contain additional pigments, such as
fuco-xanthin (brown) or phycoerythrin (red), which can mask
the green color of chlorophyll. The life cycle of algae may be
simple, involving cell division, or complex, involving alter-
nation of generations. Algae are primary producers of the
organic matter upon which animals depend either directly or
indirectly through the food chain.
Test procedures using algae are valuable for determining the
primary productivity of a water and for testing the toxicity of
chemicals present in a water. Biostimulation (algal productivity)
(8111) measures the response of a cultured species of algae to
the nutritional condition of the water.
Phytoplankton (8112) measures the response of an algal spe-
cies to materials that interfere with its normal metabolism.
Together, the tests allow the assessment of the effects of point
or nonpoint discharges in fresh and marine waters.
A third algal test, marine macroalgae (8113), measures fertil-
ization and growth in the giant brown kelp Macrocystis pyrifera,
which is useful in monitoring the effects of contaminants or
discharges into the marine waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Joint Task Group: 21st Edition—Donald J. Reish.
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