Also known as ‘rock snot’, algae in Michigan’s Manistee River has led scientists and environmental authorities to ask how much of a problem ‘rock snot’ could cause.
The algae, or didymo, can form thick mats on hard surfaces, which includes the bottom of streams and rivers. Didymo is actually a microscopic algae, which means that it can’t be seen with just the human eye, but this tiny organism can produce stalks which form the thick layers found in certain bodies of water.
This was first seen in Michigan back in 2015 in the state’s St. Marys River.
Unlike other types of algae, didymo likes low-nutrient cold water rivers and streams.
“They grow in really cold water, and they tend to bloom or produce these stalks under really low-nutrient conditions,” Ashley Moerke, a freshwater ecologist and professor said. “So, it’s actually the opposite of what we see with the blue-green algae, those harmful algal blooms; it’s the low nutrients that seem to be driving some of these blooms instead.”
These thick layers of rock snot found in rivers can pose a danger to many of the organisms which live at the bottom of streams and rivers. This can also have an impact on fish like trout as their food sources may be affected.
Didymo can also be bad for people too. It can pose problems for people trying to fish and can actually be spread by human activity. The algae can unknowingly stick to boats, clothes and fishing hooks and lines, and remain there for weeks.
Scientists have not found a way to completely remove rock snot from the environment at the moment, but researchers are continuing to discover more things about rock snot, such as its life cycle, how it spreads and the impact it has on cold-water ecosystems.
The algae, or didymo, can form thick mats on hard surfaces, which includes the bottom of streams and rivers. Didymo is actually a microscopic algae, which means that it can’t be seen with just the human eye, but this tiny organism can produce stalks which form the thick layers found in certain bodies of water.
This was first seen in Michigan back in 2015 in the state’s St. Marys River.
Unlike other types of algae, didymo likes low-nutrient cold water rivers and streams.
“They grow in really cold water, and they tend to bloom or produce these stalks under really low-nutrient conditions,” Ashley Moerke, a freshwater ecologist and professor said. “So, it’s actually the opposite of what we see with the blue-green algae, those harmful algal blooms; it’s the low nutrients that seem to be driving some of these blooms instead.”
These thick layers of rock snot found in rivers can pose a danger to many of the organisms which live at the bottom of streams and rivers. This can also have an impact on fish like trout as their food sources may be affected.
Didymo can also be bad for people too. It can pose problems for people trying to fish and can actually be spread by human activity. The algae can unknowingly stick to boats, clothes and fishing hooks and lines, and remain there for weeks.
Scientists have not found a way to completely remove rock snot from the environment at the moment, but researchers are continuing to discover more things about rock snot, such as its life cycle, how it spreads and the impact it has on cold-water ecosystems.
