Seaweeds in the Classroom

UTPA Biology

Seaweeds in the Classroom

Hudson DeYoe (hdeyoe@utpa.edu) and Marilee Hinojosa Biology Department, University of Texas Pan American Edinburg, TX 78539 I. What are seaweeds a. Not plants because they are simple in construction and lack vascular tissue b. Photosynthetic so produce oxygen and fix carbon Advantages a. Easy and fun to collect b. Accessible year round from the coast c. Easy to transport d. Can be maintained alive for significant periods of time e. Can be preserved wet or dry Incorporating seaweeds into your teaching a. Science i. Taxonomy ii. Plant physiology iii. Ecology b. Art i. Easy art activities of various levels c. Algal products in your life i. Algal products are found in everyday items Collecting a. Where to collect b. When to collect c. How to collect d. Transporting e. Keeping them alive Preserving a. Preparing herbarium sheets Exercise 1: Developing an identification key Resources

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Seaweeds in the Classroom

UTPA Biology

Introduction
Algae are aquatic photosynthetic organisms that lack internal complexity that is, theyre wet, green and simple! Algae range in size from microscopic to 100 m in length (think kelp). In this workshop, were only interested in the marine algae you can pick up with your hand, otherwise known as macroalgae or seaweed. There are three general categories of seaweeds that differ in color green, brown and red. Unfortunately, the colors can be misleading as not all red algae are red! The exercises described here will utilize the seaweeds that can be collected along the Texas coast and especially at South Padre Island. Virtually any place you put your foot in the water at the island, you can find seaweeds, but they are especially diverse and abundant on the big rocks of the jetty in Isla Blanca Park that borders the ship channel or Brazos-Santiago Pass (see map below). Seaweeds are also common in the Laguna Madre where they can be found drifting along the bay bottom or among the seagrass.

Map of seaweed sampling areas. A: area north of fishing pier, B: Childrens Beach, C: North jetty of Brazos-Santiago Pass.

Seaweeds in the Classroom

UTPA Biology

What makes seaweeds useful for teaching?

First, they are easy to collect (no special equipment is needed), can be collected any time of the year and plenty can be collected in just a few minutes. Unlike some marine organisms, you do not need a state permit to collect seaweeds. They transport well and can be maintained alive with just a little care. If desired, they can be dried and preserved in great condition for years. Lastly, they are interesting and even beautiful. From a teaching perspective, seaweeds can be used to teach about taxonomy, plant physiology and ecology. Seaweeds can be incorporated into art lessons also. Finally, seaweeds have economic importance as the products they produce can be found in everyday items like ice cream! So if you are interested in learning more about seaweeds and using them in the classroom read on

Where, when and how to collect seaweeds

Seaweeds can be collected on the gulf beach, the rock jetty or the bay. Where to collect depends on the conditions that day. If it has been stormy, the gulf beach will often have a brown alga called Sargassum. If you want it, you have to get to the beach early or late because they rake the beach in the popular bathing spots. The next easiest place to find seaweed is the bay on the backside of the island. My two favorite spots are Childrens beach and the area just north of Pier 19 (the fishing pier on the island; see map). Before wading into the water to collect, you will need a few things: Water shoes or boots, a small bucket, and several quart ziplock bags. A net is helpful but not required. Always wear something on your feet because of the rocks, oyster shells and stray trash that could cut you. In the bay, walk using the bay shuffle. This means slide your feet along the bottom to avoid stepping on a sharp object or a sting ray. If the water is calm, you will be able to see clumps of drifting algae. Pick them up, either by hand or net, to see if there is anything worth collecting. If you get into water at least knee-deep, you will likely encounter seagrass brushing against your legs. Dont freak out! It cant hurt you and is also a good place to collect. When collecting, you will often see different kinds of seaweed mixed together. Just collect the clumps and sort them out later. Especially nice specimens you might want to place in a plastic bag with a little water. If you are a little more adventurous, you can go to the jetty that borders the ship channel. Collecting here is best done on calm days at low tide, but collecting can be done when conditions are not optimal also. The challenge here is to get to the algae attached to the rocks. One of the best collecting places is near the parking area closest to the jetty. Park and walk over to the ship channel. You will be able to quickly determine if conditions are suitable for collecting. If so, look for an area that has a number of boulders that gently slope into the water where collecting is easiest. If you have gotten to or past the gulf beach (behind you) then you have gone too far. Carefully, walk onto the rocks so you can get close enough to see the attached seaweeds. With a blunt knife or your fingers scrape the seaweed off the

Seaweeds in the Classroom

UTPA Biology

rocks. As in the bay, there will often be different species mixed together. That is okay and can be the starting point of a class exercise in taxonomy. Lastly, if you have access to a boat or know a fisherman, seaweeds can be collected in many places and some especially interesting ones. Call or email me (Dr. DeYoe) if you need guidance.

Now youve got em, what do you do with them?

It is assumed that you (the teacher) will collect the seaweeds on the weekend and bring them to school the following Monday. To keep the seaweeds in good condition until you need them, it is best to keep them out of direct sun, not too hot and aerated. Sporting goods stores and Walmart sell batterypowered aerators for keeping bait alive. These work fine for seaweeds too! Seaweeds also store well if kept cold but that is not necessary if you follow the instructions above. If you do decide to refrigerate them, eliminate 95% of the seawater from the plastic storage bag. In this manner they can keep a week. If you plan to keep the algae for several weeks, you will want to transfer them to a lighted aerated aquarium containing seawater.

Preserving Seaweeds: Preparing herbarium sheets

Materials: Two large shallow pans (kitty litter pans work well) Corrugated cardboard cut to 8 11 White construction paper Roll of wax paper White or beige 100% rag stationery paper (available at office supply stores) Two large heavy books Tweezers, small modeling paint brush Specimen labels (2 3) 1. Fill the two pans with tap water. 2. Empty the contents of one bag into a pan. 3. Gently separate the different species of algae and choose one to preserve on a wet mount. 4. Clean the specimen to mount of debris and attached organisms. 5. Transfer the specimen to the second dissecting pan. 6. Mount the algae on the stationery paper: Dry Method (best for sturdy/stiff algae): a. Place the clean algae specimen to be mounted on the dry stationery paper. b. Arrange the specimen to desired position/arrangement. c. Fix/arrange the specimen to where the detail can be observed, making sure to leave the bottom right corner of the sheet empty for the label.

Seaweeds in the Classroom

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Wet Method (best for delicate or floppy algae): a. Place the sheet of stationery paper in the water of the second pan. b. Arrange the algae on the sheet, making sure you show the detail of the specimen. Leave space in the bottom right corner for the label. c. Slide the sheet with algae carefully from the water. Re-arrange the specimen if needed once out of the water 7. Carefully place the sheet with the algae on a piece of construction paper then build an algae sandwich from the bottom up with: One sheet of cardboard One sheet of construction paper Specimen sheet One sheet of wax paper (this must go on top of the specimen) One sheet of construction paper One sheet of cardboard 8. You can make a stack of several algae sandwiches. 9. Place the entire stack in an air conditioned area out of the sun. Place the two books on top of the stack. 10. Leave the pressed specimens under the books for 5-7 days. If a specimen is especially thick, you may need to replace the construction paper with dry paper after 3 days. 11. Once the specimens are dry, remove the wax paper then keep them flat, dry and in the dark until you are ready to use them. Not all algae will stick to the mounting paper so you may have to glue them to the sheet with rubber cement. 12. Finally add a label that has the name of the algae (if you know it) and when and where it was collected and who collected it. The pressed algae will stay in good condition for years if they are stored dark, dry and flat.

Seaweeds in the Classroom

UTPA Biology

A pressed specimen of Grateloupia filicinae.

Seaweeds in the Classroom

UTPA Biology

Exercise 1: Developing an identification key The students construct a dichotomous key to classify local seaweeds and get to know various species of native marine algae that inhabit our local marine environment. This exercise works best if students work in groups. At the end, it is interesting to compare the keys to see the differences. Students will develop a key to categorize marine algae based on their visible features. The list below is the algae we used to construct a sample key. The complexity and time of the exercise can be varied by the number of seaweeds used and the differences in form of the seaweeds. Pressed but preferably live algae can be used for this exercise. Students can of course use whatever terminology in the keys they want but this could be time to introduce some biology vocabulary terms. Chlorophyta (Green algae) Ulva Chaetomorpha Enteromorpha Rhodophyta (Red algae) Rhodymenia Gracilaria Hypnea Phaeophyta (Brown algae) Sargassum Padina Dictyota

Sample Key: 1a. Thallus brown................................................................................................................ 2 1b. Thallus not brown ......................................................................................................... 4 2a. Thallus with small air bladders (pneumatocysts) ..........................................Sargassum 2b. Thallus lacking air bladders ........................................................................................... 3 3a. Thallus with forked (dichotomous) branching ...................................................Dictyota 3b. Thallus with branches of variable width .............................................................. Padina 4a. Thallus green ................................................................................................................. 5 4b. Thallus not green .......................................................................................................... 7 5a. Thallus flat ..................................................................................................................... 6 5b. Thallus composed of thread-like branches (<1 mm wide) ..................... Chaetomorpha 6a. Thallus narrow (<5 mm) hollow flat tube ................................................ Enteromorpha 6b. Thallus a flat blade of variable width ....................................................................... Ulva 7a. Thallus red, flat with forked (dichotomous) branching .............................. Rhodymenia 7b. Thallus dark red or not, irregular branching ................................................................. 8 8a. Thallus consisting of a few coarse branches ................................................... Gracilaria 8b. Thallus consisting of many small (<2 mm) wide branches ................................. Hypnea 7

Seaweeds in the Classroom Suggested Resources Sorenson, L.O. 1979. A Guide to the Seaweeds of South Padre Island, Texas.
Marine Algae images: http://www.utpa.edu/centers/css/Marine_Botany_Images.pdf

UTPA Biology