First Name:
Ashley
Last Name:
Greeson
Major Department:
Biology
Thesis Director:
Mark Venable
Date of Thesis:
May 2010
Dependence on fossil fuels to meet energy demands has brought about concern for the effects of changing climate on natural systems as well as human well-being and health, as both are affected critically by increased carbon dioxide emissions. Finding an alternative to petroleum is one of the main concerns in the increased efforts to produce renewable forms of energy. Microalgae are of particular interest, as these microorganisms are able to efficiently and effectively convert C02 into triacylglycerols, or molecules ofbiofuel. Structural lipids ofthe membrane (phospholipids) and storage lipids (triglycerides) share a common metabolic pathway in microalgae, differing only in the last reaction. Our overall goal in the experiments described in this thesis was to understand whether the increase in triacylglycerols comes at the expense of phospholipids. We report that ethanol stress causes a decrease in phospholipid content corresponding to an increase in triacylglycerol. Our results pave the way for discovering a more direct and consistent control of lipid metabolism, which is absolutely necessary for efficient and effective utilization of microalgae byproducts for marketable biodiesel in the future.