Mentor: Rachael Morgan-Kiss, Ph.D.

About 25 million metric tons of road salt are applied to icy roadways in the United States every year. (1)

Road salts cause increased chloride levels in ponds and lakes, which scientists have linked to reduced ecosystem diversity and nutrient imbalances. (3,4)

Green algae are sensitive to high salinity but have mechanisms to protect against reactive oxygen species caused by salt stress. (2,5)

A previous study showed that photosystem II (PSII), a protein complex of the ‘light reactions of photosynthesis’, had increased protection under mixotrophic conditions where the cell gained energy through both photosynthesis and organic carbon in the form of acetate. (5)

Explore the Project