It’ll Grow On You: The Effect of Different Nitrogen Solutions on Algae Growth

Abstract

In this experiment, we wanted to test how algae (from the genus Chlorella) grew in different nitrogen solutions. By combining algae with ammonia and potassium nitrate, we counted the cell growth and examined the chlorophyll content. After our experimentation, our group came to the conclusion that the potassium nitrate effected algae growth the most. We hypothesized that the potassium nitrate solution would aid in the growth of algae more than the ammonia because the potassium nitrate would be able to break down further. Our results showed that our hypothesis was refuted. We found many errors within our experiment, which could cause our results to be inconclusive. The nitrogen was utilized by the algae, but we found many negative readings, so our experiment might not be as accurate as others.