Re: How do electromagnetic fields affect the growth of algae cells?

The term "electromagnetic fields" covers quite a wide area.  EM radiation 
would include x-rays and gamma rays, microwaves, UV light, visible light, 
infrared 
light, and heat.  Each of these will have different effects on algae.  
Obviously, visible light supports the growth of algae through 
photosynthesis.  Too much visible light can be deleterious to algae as some 
show phototoxic effects at very high light levels.  Infrared light and heat 
act to warm the algae and the environment.  Algae generally have an optimum 
growth temperature.  Heating the culture up too much, will cause the algae 
to grow more slowly and perhaps be killed.  At the lower end of the EM 
spectrum, where the wavelengths are shorter and the energies higher, x-rays, 
microwaves, and UV light can be seriously harmful to living things, 
including algae.  At low intensities, these high energy waves can cause 
genetic mutations.  For instance, UV light can cause the formation of 
thymine dimers.  This can lead to a base substitution and thus a point 
mutation in a gene.  Mutations are almost always deleterious to a cell.  
Gamma rays, which are very high energy, can also cause mutations in DNA, 
including deletions, point mutations, and frameshifts.  At high 
irradiances, mutations occur quite rapidly and are often lethal to cells.  
I have a feeling that this information may not be what you desire.  You may 
well be asking about the kind of electromagnetic fields we hear about that 
are associated with high tension lines and electrical distribution systems.  
At reasonable distances, the induced waves from high tension lines are just 
too weak to cause any effects on algal growth.  Certainly, very near a wire 
carrying high voltage, the induced EM field is greater and could have 
deleterious effects on algae. Again there is the possibility of inducing 
mutations.  But at very high field strengths, cellular activities may be 
disrupted by the flow of current through the cell.  A sort of intracellular 
electrophoresis may be induced.  Hope this helps.  If you have more 
specific questions, you can contact me again.

Dr. Mark.
schneegurt.1@nd.edu