| Abstract: | Ongoing research is unraveling the intricacies of the microbial ecology of the Berkeley Pit Lake System, with ever increasing information becoming available regarding the diversity of Algae, Protistans, Fungi and Bacteria that inhabit this mine waste site. Defining the baseline community structure has been the first step not only toward understanding the interactions of the different groups of organisms, but also toward assessing any improvement in biodiversity within the biotic community. Now that this first step has begun, some of these extremophiles, specifically algae, that have been isolated from the Berkeley Pit Lake System are being used as a potential solution for bioremediation. The specific objectives of this research are fivefold: 1) To evaluate the bioremediative potential of our four most rapidly growing species: (Chromulina freiburgensis Dofl., Chlorella ellipsoidea Gerneck, Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck and Chlamydomonas acidophilla Negoro) in Berkeley Pit Lake System Water with the additions of NaNO3 and NaPO4 by using an experimental matrix. This matrix will be used to estimate the minimum nutrient concentrations that would be necessary to achieve the maximum growth of algae and maximum bioremediation of the Berkeley Pit Lake System. 2) To determine which combination of nutrients will stimulate growth of the best bioremediator of our four isolated species in natural Berkeley Pit Lake System waters. In other words, what nutrient combination will give the best bioremediator a competitive edge over the other species. If time permits, different species may be grown in combination to determine if there are synergistic effects (protocooperation) between/among species. 3) To determine a temperature profile for these four species in order to determine their optimal growth temperature in Berkeley Pit Lake System water. 4) To continue to isolate organisms from the Berkeley Pit Lake System and determine their bioremediative potential. 5) Monitor algal and bacterial counts from a profile of Pit Lake System waters. The results to date will be presented for this conference. |
