The Effect of Pollution on the Distribution of Organisms Along the River Roding System
Method
Equipment
Pond net
Tray
Pots and lids
Spoons
Hand lens
Wellington boots
Specimen Pots
Freshwater Invertebrate Key
Scrap Paper (note pad)
Gloves
Tape to cover cuts
Pencil
I investigated how the quality, amount of dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates and the temperature of the water in the River Roding System affected the distribution of organisms in the river.
I chose six suitable sites along the river Roding System: Furze Ground, Pyrles Brook, Debdon Brook Downstream, River Roding Upstream, River Roding Middle Stream, and River
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We waited 1 minute. The colour on the pad was compared with the colour chart to see the nitrate level. The nitrate level was recorded. Then a phosphate test was carried out. Firstly 5ml of the water from the river was placed in a container. There were two reagents. 5 drops of reagent 1 and 1 micro spoon of reagent 2 was added to the water. The lid was replaced and the container was shaken. We waited 2 minutes and took the lid off. The colour of the mixture was compared with the colour chart and the phosphate content was recorded. Then the oxygen test was carried out. The meter was set for air and the probe was placed in the air. His was set as 100%. The probe was then placed in the river and the reading went down or up comparing its oxygen content with the oxygen in the air. Finally the temperature of the water was measured. This was done using a thermometer.
At each sight we also noted down descriptions of the site e.g. the surrounding land use, the cleanliness of the water, the depth and width of the river. This was done so that the pollution of the river could be explained.
Safety
While doing the freshwater fieldwork there were a few safety hazards. There was a chance of infection occurring e.g. Weils Disease. Therefore I had to take precautions: 1) small cuts covered with tape, 2) gloves worn, 3) no eating or drinking in the field, 4) no fooling
And finally into test tube 3, I pipetted 1.0 ml turnip extract and 4.0 ml of water. The contents of test tube 1 was poured into a spectrometer tube and labeled it “B” for blank. “B” tube was now inserted it into the spectrometer. An adjustment to the control knob was made to zero the absorbance reading on the spectrometer since one cannot continue the experiment if the spectrometer is not zeroed. A combination of two people and a stop watch was now needed to not only record the time of the reaction, but to mix the reagents in a precise and accurate manner. As my partner recorded the time, I quickly poured tube 3 into tube 2. I then poured tube 2 into the experiment spectrometer tube labeled “E” and inserted it into the spectrometer. A partner then recorded the absorbance reading for every 20 seconds for a total of 120 seconds. After the experiment, a brown color in the tube should be observed to indicate the reaction was carried out. Using sterile techniques, any excess liquid left was disposed
The first step that needed to be done in this experiment was adding hydrochloric acid (HCl)
Lampert, W., & Sommer, U. (2010). Limnoecology: [the ecology of lakes and streams]. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford University
3.0g of salicylic acid was weighed then 3.0mL of acetic anhydride and 6 drops of 85% H3PO4 were added to it. The mixture was warmed over a water bath for 5 minutes while stirring. After warming, 20 drops of distilled water was slowly added. 15mL of water was added then the solution was heated until it became clear. It was allowed to cool and was placed in an ice bath until the solution becomes cloudy. Using pre-weighed filter paper, the mixture was filtered and was allowed to dry in the filter paper.
Fish Age and Growth Case Study: Growth of Dace and Roach in the River Exe Catchment
Overall, the more macroinvertebrates in the water, the healthier the stream. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is. It is measured on a scale from 0-14. 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most basic, and 7 is neutral. It is the measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxide ions in the water. Acidic water has more hydrogen ions, and basic water has more hydroxide ions. When water’s pH is around neutral (7), that is a suitable and healthy living environment for fish, and indicates a healthy stream. If the water is too acidic or too basic, it can be harmful to the aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water. As the amount of dissolved oxygen drops below normal levels in water bodies, the water quality is harmed and creatures begin to die off as a result of eutrophication. The higher the level of dissolved oxygen, the healthier the stream. When there is a lot of dissolved oxygen present it makes for a safe environment for fish to live and reproduce. Having all this healthy fish can provide us with food, so overall the more dissolved oxygen, the better. Nitrates are a compound found in fertilizers that is used to help plants grow. It is what is given off as a result of the use of nitrogen in water. The organisms in the soil eat the nitrates and it helps the metabolism and the health of organisms. Plants, such as Algae use nitrates as a source
The wet, crude product was placed into the 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask. Small amounts of CaCl2 were added to dry the solution. The flask was sealed and the mixture was swirled and left to settle. Once
The first tests were to determine the chemical composition of the creek. Two types of pollution problems were being tested. One is called eutrophication and is when the creek or any body of water has too many nutrients in the water. It is bad for the creek. The other type is acid rain, which is when the burning of fossil fuels causes rain that is acidic. That rain subsequently drains into the creek. We performed a phosphate test, which uses scientific tools to measure the level of phosphate in the water. A similar test we executed was a nitrate test. A healthy result on both of those tests would have been a low number. Additionally, we tested the creek for dissolved oxygen, which should have been a higher number rather than a low number. The creek was also tested using a pH scale, where the numbers range from zero to fourteen, seven being the best. Lastly, we tested the rocks found in the creek to see if they would work to neutralize acid. We did this by putting acid on the rocks and observing if they bubbled and sizzled or not. The next experiment was to find organisms in the creek. We found a variety of macroinvertebrates and classified them
Imagine an Earth devoid of clean rivers with no inland marine life or readily available freshwater. This situation may arise if humanity does not volunteer to end its polluting tendencies. Initially, each individual should focus on taking steps towards decontaminating his or her nearest water body. For those living in Delaware, this is the Delaware River, which is in need of drastic reform. “The Delaware River . . . is the fifth most-polluted river in the country, according to a report released . . . by Environment New Jersey” (Augenstein). However, this obstacle did not arise spontaneously. A recognized problem by the early eighteenth century, Delaware River pollution remained a serious issue for the next 300 years and mostly stemmed from rapid population growth and booming industrial activities (“Delaware River Water Quality”). As the years progressed, Delawareans continuously disregarded the Delaware River, and it is now immensely besmirched as a result of accumulating neglect for the river. Because of this, Delaware waters continued to befoul past the threshold of safety. Delaware waterways are currently unsafe for commercial use due to the presence of pollutants and parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium in the river that can cause significant health problems, especially in individuals with weakened immune systems (“Delaware”). The polluted Delaware River, sullied by companies despite the Clean Water Act, may cause a decline in Delaware’s’ marine life, human
The St. Johns River is suffering from a significant environmental disaster because of toxic substances from municipal and industrial wastewater, fertilizer runoff, failing septic tanks, and stormwater. Consequently, over 55% of the river miles, 80.4% of acres of large water bodies, 59.4 % of estuaries, and 31.4% of coastline miles do not meet water quality standards in Florida (Florida Department of Environmental Protection 119). For that matter, studying those pollution problems that the river faces is vital since one can use this information to salvage the natural resource which is at the brink of destruction.
Organisms without back bones are Macro Invertebrate species (Seminole.Wateratlas.Usf.Edu ,2012) . These organisms are small but can be seen without a magnifying glass (Waitakere.Govt.Nz , 2002) . Size ranges from 3-20mm long (Waitakere.Govt.Nz , 2002) .Insects, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, leeches, and anemones are classified a Macro invertebrate species (Waitakere.Govt.Nz , 2002). Streams that are free from pollution will contain a variety of these animals. Streams that have higher pollution levels will less of these animals.
The entire process was repeated once more with 1.00-mL of 6.00-M phosphoric acid and 2.00mL of
3. A few drops of 6 M acetic acid were added until it became basic.
Step 1 and 2 was repeated by using distilled water by replacing the test solution.
The patterns of biological diversity in rivers and streams among taxa vary on a spatial and temporal scale (Ligeiro et al. 2010; McGarvey and Terra 2015). Variations in stream ecology can be contributed to water quality, habitat, and history of disturbance (Lingeiro et al. 2010). Creeks and streams feed into rivers and other larger bodies of water, which provide food, water, and other commercial and recreational services as well as a home to an array of plants and animals which rely on clean water. The health of these smaller bodies of water can act as indicators for the health of the larger watershed.