Really interesting point. I’m still learning in this space, but the variability you mention is exactly what stands out to me as well.

It makes me wonder how much we might be oversimplifying algae systems when we try to generalise across locations.

Curious to follow what others are seeing.

Your point about variability hits close to home. In our work with Chlorella vulgaris under the AlgaeRevive project, we found that humic acids at low concentrations boosted biomass by 15–20%, while higher concentrations suppressed growth within days. The dose-response relationships were sharper than the literature suggested.

Have others seen similarly steep sensitivity curves when working with growth modulators in microalgae? Wondering if this is species-specific or broader.

I’ve always been amazed and fascinated by algae, how despite minimal public, media, and government attention, they can have a colossal impact on the biosphere and humanity. Despite their invisibility, they have enormous potential to influence all biocenoses on Earth.