Study Verifies Toxin-Producing Algae In Oyster Pond | Falmouth News | capenews.net

*The algal-bloom forming cyanobacteria Microcystis from sediment at Oyster Pond, Falmouth, Mass. Credit: Kristy Sullivan*

An undergraduate research project has verified concerns that a cyanobacterial algae bloom in Oyster Pond [in Falmouth, Mass.,] this summer emitted potentially dangerous toxins.

Kristy Sullivan, a junior at Wheaton College, undertook the study as a participant in the Semester in Environmental Science program at Marine Biological Laboratory in the fall.

Under the guidance of molecular biologist Kristin E. Gribble, Kristy analyzed samples from Oyster Pond to identify the different types of algae present in the water and sediment.