The Effect of Copper Sulfate on the Growth of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Abstract

Micro-alga such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are a key food source for salmon. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of water contamination on C. reinhardtii as an indication of how salmon are affected by metal pollutants. C. reinhardtii cells were grown in three concentrations (0μM, 10μM, 150μM) of copper sulfate. The cells were counted over 5 days and growth rates were determined for each concentration. No significant difference was found between the growth rates of C. reinhardtii cells at each concentration. However, it was observed that an increase in copper sulfate concentration caused a decrease in the average growth rate. The observed results are likely due to uncertainties in haemocytometer counts and potential errors in sample preparation. Therefore, further repetitions of this study are needed in order to determine the potential effect of copper sulfate on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.