Large toxic algae blooms can be seen off the coast of Florida.

AlgaeBase is a database of information on algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms. At present, the data for the marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are the most complete. For convenience, we have included the sea-grasses even though they are flowering plants.

Large amounts of nutrients from agricultural runoff and pollution cause increased growth of algae. Algal blooms cause other organisms to die because the algae uses up all the oxygen in the water to grow. Eventually, this body of water will have no life in it.

The names of algal divisions emphasize the prominence of color in their biology. Using readily available source materials, students extract polar and non-polar photosynthetic pigments from red, brown, and green algae and from cyanobacteria and angiosperms. The non-polar pigments are then quickly and cleanly separated by thin layer chromatography on narrow strips of plastic-backed silica gel with minimal amounts of solvent. The resulting patterns can be used to infer the origins of chloroplasts in eukaryotes and the phylogenetic relationships among the source taxa or to illustrate a wider assortment of accessory pigments than those found in angiosperms alone.

This BioBulletin Web site takes an in-depth look at coral reefs and how they are affected by human activities -- everything from agricultural pollution and ship grounding to snorkeling and overfishing. With Florida's fragile reefs as the backdrop, the site includes text, videos, photographs, and interviews with key scientists.

This lesson plan helps students understand the factors that affect water quality and the conditions that allow for different animals and plants to survive. Students will look at the effects of water quality on various water-related activities and describe water as an environmental, economic and social resource. The students will also learn how engineers use water quality information to make decisions about stream modifications.

Interlinked Challenges features bits of information about global challenges from the last 400,000 years. Challenges include: biodiversity, climate change, eco-migrations, economy, energy, food, health, hunger, population growth, poverty, security, sustainability, transportation, urbanization, and water.

Info bits are drawn from articles, podcasts, blogs, press releases, institutional reports, testimonies, encyclopedias, books, and documentaries. Each bit is referenced, date stamped, linked to the original article, tagged on multiple themes, and assigned a related image, which has its own description, author credit, date stamp, image permission, and back link. Connections are made to bits of info from the 2007 IPCC Report on Climate Change.

Killer Toxic Algae (chattonella) off the coast of Norway, killing 700 tons of farm-raised salmon.

This Web site, created to complement the Hall of Ocean Life, looks at the cradle of life for our planet, along with its key to our future. It includes the following sections: Dioramas is an in-depth look at the Hall of Ocean Life's dioramas. They are: Andros Coral Reef, Diving Birds, Diving for Pearls, Polar Bear, Sargasso Sea, Walrus, West Indian Manatee, Northern Elephant Seal, Northern Sea Lion, Harbor Seal, Dolphin and Tuna, Sea Otter, Tiger Shark, and Sperm Whale and Giant Squid. Ecosystems is an exploration of the ocean's diverse communities. They are: Coral Reefs, Sea Floor, Kelp Forests, Mangrove Forests, Polar Seas, Estuaries, Continental Shelf, and Deep Sea. Ocean Life examines some of the ways in which life in water is different from life on land. Its subsections are Life in Water: Invertebrates; Life in Water: Vertebrates; Tree of Life: Major Marine Phyla; Tree of Life: Vertebrates; Open Ocean; Whales; and Ancient Oceans.

In this activity, students will learn how water can be polluted by algal blooms. They will grow algae with different concentrations of fertilizer or nutrients and analyze their results as environmental engineers working to protect a local water resource.