Microscopic Algae

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-017255",
  "term": "Microscopic Algae",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Tiny, single-celled planktonic plants. Algae, or phytoplankton, are the primary producers of food and oxygen in the Bay food web.\n\n2. Simple rootless plants that grow in sunlit waters in proportion to the amount of available nutrients. They can affect water quality adversely by lowering the dissolved oxygen in the water. They are food for fish and small aquatic animals.\n\n3. Chiefly aquatic, eucaryotic one-celled or multicellular plants without true stems, roots and leaves, that are typically autotrophic, photosynthetic, and contain chlorophyll. Algae are not typically found in groundwater.\n\n4. Microscopic plants which contain chlorophyll and live floating or suspended in water. They also may be attached to structures, rocks or other submerged surfaces. They are food for fish and small aquatic animals. Excess algal growths can impart tastes and odors to potable water. Algae produce oxygen during sunlight hours and use oxygen during the night hours. Their biological activities appreciably affect the pH and dissolved oxygen of the water.",
  "references": [
    "EPA Guidance for Federal Land Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Glossary at http://www.epa.gov/owow_keep/NPS/chesbay502/pdf/chesbay_glossary.pdf",
    "Aquatic Biodiversity Glossary",
    "Glossary of Technical Terms: Office of Underground Storage Tanks",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/microscopic-algae/"
}