How do cultivation and harvesting strategies affect the likelihood of successful algae growth in reused water?

I conducted a meta-analysis to find broader trends from previously published research. I extracted data from over 500 experiments to determine how different variables (e.g., algae genus, harvest method, growth stage) affect growth success in reused water.

Publication: Cross-study analysis on factors affecting algae cultivation in recycled medium for biofuel production, Algal Research, 2017

Dataset: Algae Growth in Recycled Cultivation Water: Database for Meta-analysis (figshare)

How do exudates in reused water affect algae growth and subsequent DOC (dissolved organic carbon) release? 

Algae excrete DOC as part of their normal growth processes. If not consumed by bacteria, this DOC will build up in reused water. I measured the degree of DOC accumulation in algae cultures during multiple cycles of water reuse. DOC concentrations did not correlate with algae growth response across three different marine algae strains. DOC increased linearly with each water reuse, suggesting an increasing pool of recalcitrant DOC.

Publication: Reused cultivation water accumulates dissolved organic carbon and uniquely influences different marine microalgae, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2019

Dataset: Microalgae Reused Growth Medium Experiments Dataset (figshare)

Code: Recycled Medium Analyses (GitHub)

Does algae crop rotation in reused water affect growth responses? How do bacteria communities change in reused water?

I conducted crop rotation experiments to test how algae responded to the reused water from a diatom that was inhibited by its own reused water. I also determined how the bacteria community composition changed when grown in this reused water.

Publication:  Reused cultivation water from a self-inhibiting alga does not inhibit other algae but alters their microbiomes, Algal Research, 2020

Dataset: Cross-strain Reused Growth Medium Experiments Datasets (figshare)

Code: Cross-strain Analyses (GitHub)