Assignment

Lab Report - Macroinvertebrates

You have collected and sorted out macroinvertebrates by classification group. Count the numbers in each category and summarize the habitat description of the different streams. I will post the tallies for each leaf pack on Moodle. Each person will do a write-up and turn in a report. You will base your analysis on your individual leaf pack data as well as comparing to the class.

Write-up:

Introduction and Purpose: There should be a research question or hypothesis that you want to investigate. For example, the purpose of the macroinvertebrate analysis is to compare different streams for their water/habitat quality. A hypothesis that has already been tested by others (Clinton River Watershed Council, Stroud Water Research Center, and others) is that macroinvertebrates can be used as a measure of stream quality. Different macroinvertebrates can thrive under different habitat conditions (e.g., presence of leaves, level of shade, stream flow, dissolved oxygen content) and water quality (quantity of pollution including too much nutrients from agriculture runoff or fertilizers from lawns, etc.). Certain macroinvertebrates are indicators of polluted waters, while the presences of certain other ones that are sensitive to pollutants are indicators of cleaner water and/or good habitat. State up-front in your introduction which ones are indictors of good versus poor habitat/water quality; all species may be present under good conditions, but a preponderance of certain species can indicate poor conditions or good conditions. You will be evaluating diversity and abundance.

See: http://www.stroudcenter.org/lpn/learn/data.shtm

Materials, Methods

Describe what was done (in past tense and in full sentences) from the placement of the leaf packs, to their collection, and lab identification. Do not put the actual data or discussion here; just what was done.

Data – present in tables and/or graphics, the results of your analysis. Write in complete sentence form to introduce to the reader to your data….example, “Table 1 shows the categories of macroinvertebrates, and the numbers of macroinvertebrates found/identified in each category”. Do this for your group’s leafpack, only. Put as much detail as you can into describing what you found in your leafpack. Do not interpret the findings here; that goes in the next section. Describe the stream habitat for your leaf pack.

Discussion (Analysis) and Conclusions

What do your data say? How do they confirm or contradict your hypothesis (and/or the hypothesis of others)? How do your data compare with other groups? Show the summary data (tallied numbers) for the other groups and discuss the findings in the context of water and habitat quality. Be more specific when discussing your own leafpack. What are the implications to the food chain (birds, frogs, fish, etc.)?