Effect of Urea on the Growth of Tetrahymena thermophila

Abstract

With the increase in fertilizer runoffs polluting water systems, we aimed to use Tetrahymena thermophila as a model organism to determine how increases in pollutants commonly found in fertilizers affect the health of water-based ecosystems. With urea being a common component of many fertilizers, we focused on how different concentrations of urea affect the growth of T. thermophila. The growth curves of T. thermophila cultures were obtained from four different treatments of urea concentrations: 0 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, 200 μg/mL, and 400μg/mL over the course of 25.5 hours. No significant differences in growth at these concentrations were measured, and thus further exploration would be required to determine the effects of urea in the context of fertilizer runoffs affecting our ecosystems.