Winthrop Lake Vs. Wetlands Lab Report

Lampert, Winfried; Sommer, Ulrich (2007-07-26). Limnoecology: The Ecology of Lakes and river streams. OUP Oxford.

In this lab, we studied the health and response of a protist community in an environmental change. The objective of this lab was to study and learn about how variables, such as a more acidic environment, impact the community in a habitat. Furthermore, it was also to learn about how diversity is quantified. To test this, we added protist communities to habitats of different pH levels, from 7 to 4, and let them live there for a week. We then studied the results and investigated which protists lived better in which environments. We discovered that at a pH of 7, the neutral pH of spring water, protists were able to live. As the pH was decreased, however, protists began to die off and could not survive in such acidic conditions. We also noticed that the lower the pH, the lower the diversity because fewer types of protists could survive. We can use this information to see how acidic conditions in nature such as those caused by acid rain can affect communities. We now know that an acidic environment can be extremely harmful to a community and so we should be more cautious of acid rain. If acidic conditions are bad for protists, it is quite possible that they are unfavorable for humans as well.

Factors that may have affected the accuracy of the readings, may have been that the observations and recordings of all abiotic data was collected from one area rather than multiple sites within the area. The students involved in data collection, had no previous experience in the use of certain equipment such as the soil thermometer and refractometer, therefore, results may have varied significantly due to inadequate/improper use of equipment.

The health of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay was found based on Biological (macroinvertebrates and wildlife) and Chemicals characteristics (pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, etc.) as well as physical observations (amount of forested buffers, wetlands, etc.) Overall it was concluded that the health of the water was good to excellent. What was found was that many of the macroinvertebrates found in the water were sensitive or facultative, meaning the water quality was good enough for them to live in. Also, the level of ph, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, and turbidity showed that the water quality was good. Finally, while we were canoeing down the Susquehanna River, observations were made on the land

“The pH of a solution is a measure of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution and as such is a measure of the acidity or basicity (sic) of the solution. The letters pH stand for power of hydrogen and the numerical value defined as the negative base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions.” (PH, 2002). The pH scale is from 0 to 14. When the pH is higher, the hydrogen ions are fewer and the substance considered alkaline. This means when a pH unit increases by one, there is a tenfold change in the hydrogen ion. For example, if a substance has a 7 pH, it has 10 times as many as hydrogen ions available as 8 pH. A lake having a water pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is considered to be neutral. Researchers tested Peckham Park lake water monthly from August 2015 to April 2016 for water pH levels. A water quality PH test strip taken from a jar and dipped into the lake. After a few minutes, the strip will turn a color and this color determines the pH. The jar the strips came in has a chart of the colors on the back which compared to the color on the strip. The lake tested monthly using the PH test strips, which show the pH level, hardness, toxic, etc. using color-change

Through our research we aimed to determine if there were any differences in water quality of both the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. As time progresses and the environment changes it is important to keep track of how certain species are being impacted by these features, and how they cope with change. We hypothesized that due to the lack of pollution, the south fork will promote a greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. This was due to the fact that there was less runoff and trash that could be introduced to the water in the south fork, than there was in the north fork. We gathered data by analyzing the different organisms living in both forks. We collected a total of fifty vials composed of five organisms from each fork, and inspected them under microscopic view. After gathering data and identifying the different kinds of organisms living in the different forks we assessed whether the organisms from the samples could live in high or low resolution water. We also took a t-test to assess the probability of these differences being due to relevant factors or by chance. Our major findings suggest that organisms in the south fork showed a higher demand to living in cleaner water indicating that our hypothesis was correct.

Government agencies carefully monitor water quality and its effect on wetlands (Reference: Environment Protection Agency Wetland Report EPA 832-R-93-005). Of particular concern is the concentration of nitrogen in water draining from fertilized lands. Too much nitrogen can kill fish and wildlife. Twenty-eight samples of water were taken at random from a lake. The nitrogen concentration (milligrams of nitrogen per liter of water) was determined for each sample. The variable in this information is nitrogen concentration (mg nitrogen/l water).

Abstract: During this lab, the pH of water in soil from a man made garden, a deciduous forest, and a river bank were tested after leaving it in containers for one, two, and three hours, coming out to a total of three trials with three different soils all together. After testing the pH of the water when being added to the soil for the desired amount of time and comparing it to the original water with no soil added, is then when each pH difference was observed and recorded in a a notebook, while pictures were taken of the experiment being conducted.

We did 3 different test to help conclude the water quality. The first testing/station i did was to see what kind of critters were living in the water. Then, my next group was to take a test to see if eutrophication was in the water. We also took

For both ponds, the procedures are identical to each other. Submerged the YSI 55 DO Meter about 6 inches into the clear water to take an initial DO measurement at the surface, and did the same thing when it was lowered 2 feet into the water to take initial DO measurement at the bottom. The meter took the DO, % DO Saturation, and temperature at both the surface and the bottom of the pond. Four water samples were taken from the pond and collected in viewing tubes. Used the tube on the left side as a control and in the second tube, the group added Phosver 3 Phosphate Reagent

One of the most important things that wetlands can do is improve our water quality. With the increasing usage of pesticides in farming and other pollutants that get spread around, most of these chemicals end up in our water supply from runoff. When a lake has wetlands at or near its borders, it tends to be cleaner and more protected from pollutants. Groundwater also benefits from wetlands, as the plants use the extra nitrogen from the runoff. In Iowa, nitrogen is the most common pollutant in out drinking water (Iowa Wetlands). In one study, it was found that “it

We had to get exactly 25ml of water from the creek, and calculate the PPM of dissolved oxygen in it using a test kit. So, we went down to the creek, got exactly 25ml of water, and then we brought it back. We had to break a dropper in it and watch the colour of the water. We found that the colour matched 12 PPM on the scale; a deep blue. We collaborated with the other groups, and wrote down the other groups’ results to compare. We calculated that the average pH for the creek water was 7; entirely normal. We did some other stuff, like finding the number of rocks that neutralized acid in the creek, and vice

In the following figure 1, the amount of lakes were present in the summer of of 1975 shows that many lakes existed before the pH level was non existent. As soon the pH level increased, the fish disappeared as well as the lakes. In spite of the fact that there are few spikes once in awhile; it is conceivable that the fish attempted

Data was analyzed at the Little Spokane River at the Verbrugge Environmental Center in Scotia Valley. In terms of the accuracy and methods employed, they were all appropriate in the area of study. Recording data at every 0.5 meter may not have been absolutely accurate since the meter tape may not have been tight enough. The biotic index may not have been accurate because only a small sample was taken from the stream to study. Through the two-sample t-test, the mean gave us a good idea of what the average concentration of E. coli (Escherichia coli) or coliform was in Reach 2 and Reach 3. Over the years, it was comforting to observe that the high concentration level of E. coli (Escherichia coli) in 2013 decreased in 2015. However,

I decided to test the ecological status of the wetland by gathering samples from the wetland and testing it for various aspects in the water and the plants that are found within the area.