AQUATIC EXPLORERS
Discover, learn, and have FUN!
Discover, learn, and have FUN!
As you already know, streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds are uncommon in our beautiful, but dry, southern California. Freshwater is a scarce and precious resource. Freshwater habitats are home to many invertebrates, fish, and waterfowl that feed on aquatic plants and algae. With this project, we would like to draw your attention to the hidden world of algae, which is often overlooked because of their microscopic size. Indeed, the tiny, freshwater algae play a significant role in every aquatic ecosystem because as photosynthetic organisms, they produce much of the energy and oxygen needed for other organisms. As such, they are the base of aquatic food webs. Algae around the globe produce nearly half of the oxygen in the atmosphere and they are crucial for the survival of all living creatures in water and on land, including for us! Unfortunately, human activities sometimes negatively impact aquatic ecosystems by loading excess amounts of nutrients (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen used to fertilize plants) and organic material through agricultural and urban run-off. Increased pollution in combination with climate change stimulates algal growth to nuisance levels, which on some occasions, may produce toxins harmful to aquatic organisms, domestic animals, and people. Gaining a better understanding about aquatic ecosystems and how scientists study them will encourage community engagement in protecting local freshwater habitats and water quality. We will tell you about the hidden world of algae and how we look at it. We aim to connect K-12 youth and the community to emerging issues related to local aquatic ecosystems and to have fun together while studying and protecting local freshwater bodies. The images for this website were obtained while teaching and mentoring students at California State University San Marcos' (CSUSM) Biol 387L Aquatic Ecology Laboratory in 2022, the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Programs in 2020 and 2021, and Super STEM Saturday: Good and Bad Algae in 2022.
Click below to learn how we will make our algal studies and aquatic science accessible to you.
Click below to learn how we study algae and aquatic ecosystems in the field and in the laboratory.
You will learn about fun projects we completed with California State University San Marcos undergraduate students. We plan to involve you in similar aquatic research projects.
Escondido Creek is a coastal creek in southern California, which flows year-round from Lake Wohlford to San Elijo Lagoon. We use Escondido Creek as a field sampling station for CSUSM's Biol 387L Aquatic Ecology Laboratory undergraduate course and for the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.
Learn MoreDiscovery Lake is a small, man-made, recreational lake located in the suburbs of the city of San Marcos and has been used as a field sampling station for CSUSM’s Biol 387L AquaticEcology Laboratory undergraduate course since 2011. Click below to learn more about student studies of phytoplankton blooms.
Learn moreCultivating algae in-vitro in sterile lab conditions is part of student studies. Algal cultures contain a single species and therefore are valuable for molecular studies and lab experiments to test hypotheses about algal biology, physiology and ecological preferences. Click below to see algal strains isolated from streams in California and grown in-vitro.
Learn MoreCommunity members and K-12 youth will participate in field observations, monitor water quality, perform experiments, and observe artistic visualizations of freshwater and ocean climate conditions as they seek to better understand anthropogenic and climate impacts on aquatic systems. Click below to learn how you could be involved in aquatic research.
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