Water quality monitoring has traditionally been done by measuring periphytic algal biomass that has grown on fertilized or unfertilized patches of habitat produced by nutrientdiffusing substrata (NDS). This method requires the destruction of the accumulated periphyton communities and thus does not allow for convenient monitoring through time. Optical fluorometric methods of estimating biomass and photosynthetic activity have been used in saline environments, but generally not over different nutrient treatments and not for a substantial duration. This study evaluated the use of a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer for measuring biomass and photosynthetic activity in conjunction with NDS over several weeks. The results of this study suggest that this is a comparable methodology not only for measuring periphytic responses to nutrients but also for evaluating the effect the nutrient changes have on overall photosynthetic efficiency.
","abstract_html":"<p>Water quality monitoring has traditionally been done by measuring periphytic algal biomass that has grown on fertilized or unfertilized patches of habitat produced by nutrientdiffusing substrata (NDS). This method requires the destruction of the accumulated periphyton communities and thus does not allow for convenient monitoring through time. Optical fluorometric methods of estimating biomass and photosynthetic activity have been used in saline environments, but generally not over different nutrient treatments and not for a substantial duration. This study evaluated the use of a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer for measuring biomass and photosynthetic activity in conjunction with NDS over several weeks. The results of this study suggest that this is a comparable methodology not only for measuring periphytic responses to nutrients but also for evaluating the effect the nutrient changes have on overall photosynthetic efficiency.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Whorley, Sarah Brooke"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Steven N. Francoeur, PhD, Chair","Peggy Liggit, PhD","Kristin Judd, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:36Z","subjects":["Water quality biological assessment","Plant biomass Measurement","Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/202","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Steven N. Francoeur, PhD, Chair","Peggy Liggit, PhD","Kristin Judd, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Whorley, Sarah Brooke"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Water quality biological assessment","Plant biomass Measurement","Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/202"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Water quality monitoring has traditionally been done by measuring periphytic algal biomass that has grown on fertilized or unfertilized patches of habitat produced by nutrientdiffusing substrata (NDS). This method requires the destruction of the accumulated periphyton communities and thus does not allow for convenient monitoring through time. Optical fluorometric methods of estimating biomass and photosynthetic activity have been used in saline environments, but generally not over different nutrient treatments and not for a substantial duration. This study evaluated the use of a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer for measuring biomass and photosynthetic activity in conjunction with NDS over several weeks. The results of this study suggest that this is a comparable methodology not only for measuring periphytic responses to nutrients but also for evaluating the effect the nutrient changes have on overall photosynthetic efficiency.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Rapid measurements of periphytic responses to nutrients using PAM fluorimetry"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Steven N. Francoeur, PhD, Chair","Peggy Liggit, PhD","Kristin Judd, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Whorley, Sarah Brooke"],"dc:description.abstract":["Water quality monitoring has traditionally been done by measuring periphytic algal biomass that has grown on fertilized or unfertilized patches of habitat produced by nutrientdiffusing substrata (NDS). This method requires the destruction of the accumulated periphyton communities and thus does not allow for convenient monitoring through time. Optical fluorometric methods of estimating biomass and photosynthetic activity have been used in saline environments, but generally not over different nutrient treatments and not for a substantial duration. This study evaluated the use of a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer for measuring biomass and photosynthetic activity in conjunction with NDS over several weeks. The results of this study suggest that this is a comparable methodology not only for measuring periphytic responses to nutrients but also for evaluating the effect the nutrient changes have on overall photosynthetic efficiency.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/202"],"dc:subject":["Water quality biological assessment","Plant biomass Measurement","Biology"],"dc:title":["Rapid measurements of periphytic responses to nutrients using PAM fluorimetry"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:36Z"}