Comparison​ ​of​ ​analyses​ ​of​ ​ocean​ ​marine​ n​utrients​ ​using​ ​commercial​ ​aquarium​ ​kits vs.​ ​established​ ​literature​ ​protocols

• In Event: Poster Presentation and Judging for: Biomedical; Cell & Molecular Biology; Chemistry & Biochemistry; Marine Science; Systematics & Evolutionary Biology.
  In Poster Session: Marine Science Poster Session

Abstract

The​ ​concentration​ ​of​ ​nutrients,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​nitrate​ ​(NO​3​-​),​ ​nitrite​ ​(NO​2​-​),​ ​and​ ​ortho-phosphate​ ​(PO​4​-3​)
in​ ​the​ ​waters​ ​above​ ​coral​ ​reefs​ ​are​ ​thought​ ​to​ ​affect​ ​their​ ​overall​ ​health​ ​and​ ​sustainability.​ ​There​ ​are
long-established​ ​colorimetric​ ​assays​ ​for​ ​the​ ​measurement​ ​of​ ​these​ ​analytes​ ​in​ ​the​ ​laboratory,​ ​and​ ​so​ ​the
choice​ ​has​ ​been​ ​to​ ​either​ ​transport​ ​water​ ​samples​ ​back​ ​to​ ​the​ ​home​ ​laboratory​ ​for​ ​analysis​ ​or​ ​transport
an​ ​extensive​ ​battery​ ​of​ ​reagents​ ​to​ ​remote,​ ​often​ ​foreign,​ ​field​ ​locations​ ​for​ ​analysis​ ​on​ ​site.​ ​There​ ​are
commercially​ ​available,​ ​over-the-counter,​ ​colorimetric​ ​aquarium​ ​nutrient​ ​analysis​ ​kits​ ​(based​ ​on​ ​the
literature​ ​assays)​ ​which​ ​are​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​transport,​ ​convenient​ ​to​ ​implement,​ ​but​ ​are​ ​designed​ ​to​ ​give​ ​broad
range​ ​results.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​of​ ​interest​ ​to​ ​whether​ ​these​ ​commercial​ ​kits​ ​could​ ​produce​ ​rigorous,​ ​quantitative,
results​ ​comparable​ ​to​ ​the​ ​established​ ​assays.

Standard​ ​solutions​ ​of​ ​nitrate​ ​(NO​3​-​),​ ​nitrite​ ​(NO​2​-​),​ ​and​ ​ortho-phosphate​ ​(PO​4​-3​)​ ​were​ ​prepared​ ​in
artificial​ ​seawater​ ​(ASTM​ ​)​ ​and​ ​tested​ ​according​ ​to​ ​the​ ​established​ ​literature​ ​protocols​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​by​ ​the
commercial​ ​kits​ ​using​ ​several​ ​types​ ​of​ ​optical​ ​instruments​ ​including;​ ​a​ ​Perkin​ ​Elmer​ ​UV-Vis
spectrophotometer,​ ​Bio​ ​Rad​ ​3550​ ​microplate​ ​reader,​ ​Thermo​ ​Spectronic​ ​20D​ ​spectrophotometer,​ ​and​ ​a
MicroLab​ ​FS-32​ ​LED​ ​spectrophotometer.​ ​Calibration​ ​curves​ ​show​ ​that​ ​comparable​ ​results​ ​can​ ​indeed​ ​be
attained,​ ​albeit​ ​in​ ​very​ ​specific​ ​concentration​ ​ranges.​ ​Comparative​ ​analyses​ ​were​ ​performed​ ​on​ ​marine
samples​ ​obtained​ ​from​ ​the​ ​coral​ ​reef​ ​waters​ ​at​ ​Roatan,​ ​Honduras​ ​and​ ​the​ ​analyte​ ​concentration​ ​results
were​ ​in​ ​agreement.

Author

• Micah Nathaniel Bigby, Midland College