Image credit: W. Carter
If you walk alongside a river, you might notice long strands of algae called Cladophora. Marc Peipoch of the Stroud Water Research Center says this type of algae plays an important role in streams.
“Other small algae can take use of it and grow on top of the Cladophora or some insects will have some shade or will have some place to hide so that they don’t get consumed by fish.”
In many places, warmer water, and excess nutrients from farm runoff are making Cladophora grow faster than it used to. Too much can clog intake pipes, and outcompete other species, reducing biodiversity in the stream.
“A little bit is fine. Too much becomes a problem,” says Peipoch.
Get Schooled:
- See algae in a nearby waterway? Use this field guide from Northern Kentucky University to look it up.
- Check out this time lapse of Cladophora growth in Lake Michigan, from MLive.
- Read more about scientists studying the growth of alage in Lake Ontario, from The Buffalo News.
Hear Peipoch say more about why he believes Cladophora will become more of a problem:
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and made possible by the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
