UST Graduate School Professorial Lecturer Susana F. Baldia, Ph.D., presented a paper titled 鈥淧hytoplankton Communities鈥� Diversity and Its Related Spatio-temporal Trends in Angat Hydroelectric Dam, Norzagaray, Bulacan, Philippines鈥� at the 9th Asian Pacific Phycological Forum (APPF) 2024 held from April 14 to 18, 2024 at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan.
In a parallel session, Dr. Baldia presented a paper that dealt with the importance of phytoplankton in maintaining the ecological balance of the freshwater ecosystems such as lakes, ponds, and dams. Angat Hydroelectric Dam (AHD) which is one of the largest freshwater dam in the Philippines has been in existence for over 50 years supplying potable water in Metro Manila, irrigates farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga provinces, and generates hydroelectric power in Luzon Island. The study investigated the diversity of the phytoplankton community structure in Angat Dam and its relationship with the changes of the water quality of the reservoir. Thus, a monthly sampling on the phytoplankton diversity coupled with water quality analyses in AHD was conducted from June 2018 to May 2019. This study was beneficial for monitoring the health of the reservoir ecosystems, as well as the conservation of environment functions.
She shares authorship of the paper with her former graduate thesis advisee, Michelle S. Agustin, who is now a graduate of Master of Science in Biology. The research was supported by the UST Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, and by the Commission on Higher Education and Bulacan State University through Ms. Agustin.
The 9th Asian Pacific Phycological Forum (APPF) 2024 is a gathering of scientists, professors, engineers, and even students for exchange of ideas and garnering new information in the field of phycology (study of algae). This was attended by over 240 participants, the sessions included the following topics: Harmful Algal Blooms, Seaweed Cultivation, Algae and Climate Change/Ecology, Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Evolution.
The 探花精选 joins six other Philippines universities who also were present in the conference delivered oral presentations, served as chairs of the different sessions, and acted as judges of oral and poster presentations of student participants.
