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Fletcher's Paint Experiment Essay

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The purpose of this experiment was to determine if sediment and water found in the Souhegan River along the Fletcher’s Paint dump site contains toxic compounds that are harmful towards aquatic organisms. The purpose also was to determine the LC50 of ammonium sulfate using Daphnia magna by performing static aquatic toxicity testing.
Introduction
Bioassays, Daphnia magna, were used to monitor water for the presence of toxic compounds in various water samples, including samples 1 mile upstream from the Fletcher’s Paint dump site and one mile downstream. A bioassay is a living organism that serves as a detector for toxins. It is hypothesized that if the Daphnia mortality rate when exposed to water samples from various locations is higher in greater solutions, then their deaths' indicate that the water contains toxic compounds due to the harmful toxins that originated from human pollution. This is the same hypothesis for the Fletcher’s Paint experiment. Water pollution has become a huge factor in the crisis of earth contamination. It is defined as the addition of harmful chemicals to natural water. Sources of water pollution include industrial waste, marine dumping, global warming, oil pollution, …show more content…

Daphnia are freshwater crustaceans which live in lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams. To swim, the Daphnia uses its antennae by thrusting it downward and pushing itself towards the surface of the water. After each push it pauses and floats downward while breathing and collecting food with its ten legs. These creatures are filter feeders and survive in culture by eating algae and protozoans. Even though Daphnia have a hard outer shell for protection, they are vulnerable to many prey, including newts, salamanders, tadpoles, and small fish. The nutrients Daphnia intake by eating algae is passed on to their predators. This is important in the food chain even to those who don’t eat the Daphnia

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