Rough Draft of the Final Report

Lab 3 – Biodiversity

Experiment 1: Effects of Water Pollution on Plant Diversity

Water pollution can have severely negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly on plant populations. In many cases, these pollutants are introduced to the environment through everyday human activity. In this experiment, you will contaminate several water samples, as well as purify a water sample. You will then evaluate the effects of water pollution and purification on the biodiversity of wildflowers.

 

POST-LAB QUESTIONS

Table 1: Water Observations (smell, color, etc.)
Beaker	Observations
1	Water clean, clear and no smell
2	Water remains clear, veggie oil floats on top of water its light yellow on top and clear on bottom, no smell
3	Looks a little foggy and smell like vinegar
4	Water turned light blue and smell like laundry detergent
5	Turned a little dark but no smell
6	Water turned darker brown, but no smell.
7	Water turned a darker brown, smells like vinegar and all water came through the soil
8	Water turned very dark, all water came through soil, still smell like laundry detergent

1. What effects did each of the contaminants have on the water in the experiment? Use Table 1 for reference.

Answer = Some of the water remained clear with no smell. When water was mixed with oil the oil floated to top and water remained clear at the bottom. Water looked foggy when mixed with vinegar and smelled like vinegar as well.

2. What kinds of human activities could cause oil, acids, and detergents to contaminate the water supply?

Answer = Oil spills can contaminate nearby water sources Improperly disposing oil, acids and detergents can also cause water contamination. Houses septic tank, and pipes not properly installed fan cause nearby water contamination.

3. What are the differences in color, smell, visibility, etc. between the “contaminated” water and the “treated” water?

Answer = The contaminated water is dark, dirty color and the treated water is a light brown clearer than contaminated water. I wasn’t able to smell anything from contaminated or treated water.

4. From the introduction to Lab 2, you know that there are typically five steps involved in the water treatment process. Identify the processes (e.g., coagulation) that were used in this lab and describe how they were performed.

Answer = First thing I did to purifying the contaminated was water was adding the 10grams of alum mixing it with water, which is call coagulation. This caused the dirt to clump up and sink to bottom and separated from the water that was separated from the water. Secondly was sedimentation, when I poured the water that was separated from the dirt into the filter and the marked beginning of the filtration process. While the water was filtering, the water also slowed down while trying to pass through the filter which was made of charcoal, gravel and sand. The filter worked because the water was cleaner in the beaker below the funnel. Lastly was the purifying, a small amount of bleach was used to disinfect the water. Doing this it kills any bacteria that may have been in the water.

5. Develop a hypothesis regarding how using contaminated or purified water might affect plant biodiversity. Which pot do you believe will contain the greatest biodiversity (greatest number of species)? Why?

Hypothesis = My hypothesis is that if I use contaminated water then there will be less plant diversity, but if I purified water then there will be more alive and thriving plant diversity. The tap water will produce a great variety of bio diversity. The pot that I think will contain the greatest bio diversity is the one that used tap water because the contaminated water will contain harmful substances that will hurt the plants vs the clean water that will keep them healthy and allow them to grow. I also know that every gardener uses tap water to water their plants daily and these plants live for a long period of time and grow to be very healthy.

Table 2: Number of Plant Species Present in the Pots
Species Observed	Tap Water	Contaminated Water	Purified Water
Zinnia	Y N	Y N	Y N
Marigold	Y N	Y N	Y N
Morning Glory	Y N	Y N	Y N
Cosmos	Y N	Y N	Y N
Ryegrass	Y N	Y N	Y N
Total Number of Species in Pot:	4	3	5

6. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 5? Explain how you determined this.

Accept/Reject = Based on the results of my experiment I think that I would reject my hypothesis for one small reason. Although, the top water pot sprouted most of the seedings, it did not sprout them all making my hypothesis wrong. The tap water pot did not produce all the seedings and therefore had to the greatest amount of diversity present. The contaminated water pot only produced three of the five species.

7. Alum contains aluminum. Research the effects of aluminum on plants by finding a scholarly source online. Does your research provide any insight into your results? Discuss your findings as they relate to the results of your experiment.

Answer = According to Daniel Becker (2014) in THE EFFECTS OF ALUMINUM CONCENTRATION ON GROWTH RESPONSES IN PLANTS. Aluminum is the most common metal in the lithosphere and soils. Although aluminum is abundant in the mineral portion of the soils, the concentrations of a plant-available metals in the soil solution usually remain in very small amounts but can increase to toxic levels depending on soil physiochemical conditions. Aluminum is thought to be the largest contribution to high soil acidity (page 3, para. 1). At this point aluminum can became very toxic to plants and have very harmful become very toxic to plants and have very harmful effects on them. Aluminum toxicity can cause leaf bronzing or tissue necrosis. Bronzing occurs when leaves lose their green color and turn brown. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes the plant will just stop growing because of nutrient and water deficiencies, due to short roots which is one of the effects that aluminum has on plants (page 7, para.1). My research interested me because as soon as my plants sprouted I noticed the brown rolled ends on some plants, which you can see in the pictures. It also interested me because the pot that contained the purified water, the one we made with alum, the plants grew shorter than those in the other two pots, which is also noticeable in the pictures.

8. Imagine that each pot was a sample you found in a group of wildflowers. Based on the diversity of flowers in each pot, would you consider the ecosystem to be healthy? Why or why not?

Answer = I would consider the ecosystem to be healthy because of the number of species that grew in each pot under different circumstances. What surprised me the most is that plants grew in the contaminated water pot even though it had to grow in an unhealthy environment.

9. How does biodiversity contribute to the overall health of an ecosystem? Provide specific examples and utilize at least one scholarly resource to back your answer.

Answer = Biodiversity is very important to health of ecosystem. The greater species diversity is it ensure natural sustainability for all life forms. It provides natural services such as soil protection, water resources, pollution breakdown, food, medical resources, and future resources, according to Shah (2014). She states "Each species depends on the services provided by other species to ensure survival. It is a type of cooperation based on mutual survival and is often what a "balanced ecosystem" needs to keep on thriving (2014)." An example of biodiversity needed can be found in farming. Crops are used to feed cattle waste nourishes the crops. Crops yield grain and other things like straw, the straw provides organic matter and fodder, crops are therefore food sources for humans and animals the soil and organisms such as bacteria and alae as nitrogen fixers. Rodents then aerate the soil and improve its water, holding capacity.

10. Rank the following three scenarios in terms of having the most to least biodiversity and provide your rationale for these rankings.

· A vacant lot behind a car repair facility.

· A designated national wilderness area.

· A grassy strip along the highway.

Answer = A designed national wilderness area will contain the most biodiversity because this is an area that will be protected, groomed and well taken care of.

A grassy strip along the highway this area will contain some biodiversity because it will still be exposed to pollution but will receive occasionally cleanup and grooming.

A vacant lot behind a car repair facility this area will contain the least amount of biodiversity because it will be exposed to pollution and contaminants in the soil maybe from the car repair facility. There also will be no one to clean up the pollution in this area to make it a healthy place for things to live and grow.

References

Becker, D. (2014). THE EFFECTS OF ALUMINUM CONCENTRATION ON GROWTHRESPONSES IN Plants (Master's thesis). May Retrieved from http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-12152004-111012/unrestricted/Becker_thesis.pdf

Shah, A. (2014, January 19). Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?. InGlobal Issues:Economic and Environmental Issues That Affects Us All. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-is-biodiversity-important-who-cares

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