Assignment task:
Part 1: Evaluate the arguments from two peers and appraise and critique their central point. Need Assignment Help?
Your assessment of their points should show insight into their points based on what you have so far learned about your own species. Then, give them the thumbs up or down on their money-making pitch!
When responding to the work of others, vary your exposure to other taxa (i.e. other groups of algae) by choosing students who are focused on species from different taxonomic groups, so that one of your responses is to someone who's done a different group (i.e. if you did your assignment on a red alga, you should look for someone who did theirs on a green or brown algae, etc.), and the other is to a group more similar to yours. If you don't see any such options, or those students have already received feedback from two others, then find the next best option, even if it's similar to your work. You will not be penalized for your interaction choices - but it is important to get varied feedback and expose yourself to other groups.
Peer 1:
Microalgae have multi-faceted value within the aquaculture industry; as a replacement for fishmeal or fish oil, an immune boosting dietary supplement, and as a waste fixing agent (Han et. Al., 2019; Siddik et. Al., 2023; Vijayaram et. Al., 2024). Chlorella vulgaris is a tested candidate species for all three purposes due to its immune boosting properties and simple culturing requirements. C. vulgaris is 47% protein while fixing 100% nitrate and nitrite, 60-90% phosphate, and, in concert with other species, most of the available ammonia. Including C. vulgaris at very small quantities in the feed for larval M. rosenbergii enhanced growth rate and disease resistance. Reducing fishmeal use while creating value from waste and improving feeding effectiveness highlights a market that also improved aquaculture sustainability.
Although there are economic hurdles in producing algae for aquafeed, increasing aquaculture sustainability by reducing reliance on fishmeal creates a reasonable impetus for algae culture development (Siddik et. Al., 2023). To reduce costs agricultural, aquacultural, and municipal wastewater, which is usually processed using costly chemical and mechanical methods, can go through a biological process from which algal aquafeed products can be produced (Han et. Al, 2019; Vijayaram et. Al., 2024). Using aquaculture waste specifically leads to a circular system that can convert costs to inputs within the same operation.
Peer 2:
Caulerpa lentillifera, also known as sea grapes or green caviar, is a type of green algae that people eat in parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. It's packed with good stuff like fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol (Paul et al., 2014). It's also super easy and cheap to grow in salty water and doesn't need much care. Because it grows fast and cleans the water as it grows, sea grapes can be a great way to fight pollution and climate change. As food becomes harder to get in some areas, sea grapes could be a smart, eco-friendly food for the future.
Part 2: Making Money from Sea Grapes
I'd create a freeze-dried sea grape snack to sell as a healthy, ocean-grown superfood. People love trying new healthy snacks, and this one is full of nutrients. Sea grapes are already popular in Asia, and we could bring them to health food stores in the U.S. and Europe. The global seaweed market is worth over a billion dollars, and this could be the next big hit (MarketsandMarkets, 2023).