Interpretation of Results and Discussion
Experimental Design Methodology
Proposed Study Site
Taking an assumption that indeed there is a relationship existing between the extents of water quality and farming, with a basis on background research as well as extensive literature review, in this paper, it takes a turn undertaking an analysis of an experimental design methodology. The proposed study site in our case study is the region around the Great Lakes. In this given place, research indicates that agricultural activities are rampant around the lakes (Gordon, 2007). In relevance to the modern research, reports have it that when a lake is located adjacent to an agricultural area, then the chances are high that the levels of phosphorus in the water will be elevated, in comparison to the lakes that are located a little bit distant from the agricultural fields. Its components include;
Independent variables: - Algae Growth, Surviving Fish, Oxygen, and Phosphorus.
Dependent variables: - Toxins (That affects the human and plant health) and Water clarity.
Experimental Group: - In the experiment group, it mainly consists of the testing of clearness and freshness of water and the level of growth of algae.
Control Group: - Extent of fish and Algae growth in a separate lake far from agricultural activities.
Number of Replicates: - About 3 - 5 times in regard to the amount of time available.
Sampling Design
For an array of reasons, people tend to recognize the value of having fresh water for use particularly water from the lakes. Regardless of the activity taking place adjacent to the lake, it is the obligation of the human activities to ensure that the available water is indeed fresh. Nevertheless, water found in the Great Lakes tends to be salty from a given point of view. In order to ascertain this fact, the first experiment involves the use of independent variables.
Independent Variables: - As already mentioned above, the first independent variable to be discussed involves the growth of algae. As we all know, high amounts of phosphorus influence the rapid growth of algae. For this, the team of researchers undertakes a planting session for algae from a section of the Great lakes. The other control experiment is done on a different lake, which is not adjacent to a farming region (Macreadie et al., 2013). The main intent of carrying out this experiment is to determine the controversy of phosphorus in relation to the development of algae.
Results: From the experiment, there was an observation of two distinct growth speeds of the algae. To the given plants grown in freshwater regions, the given algae depicted a form of retarded growth. On the other hand, the algae plants that were grown adjacent to the Great Lakes, exhibited a more rapid growth. It is an indication of high levels of phosphorus present in the Great lakes (Gordon, 2007).
Conclusion: The Great Lakes is a region adjacent to numerous and extensive farming activities. For this reason, there is a high likelihood of phosphorus from the agricultural fields, being carried from the areas to the lakes, in the form of surface runoff. When it reaches the lakes, the phosphorus with a combination of potassium and nitrogen settles beneath the water. In doing this, it escalates the overall growth of plants. The aquatic plants in general showed signs of progress in terms of growth as a result of the increased levels of phosphorus.
Dependent Variables: - Water is the main dependent variable in this experiment. It is because; the level of clarity and freshness of water will highly depend on the level of toxins entering the lake through the process of surface runoff. For the given reasons, one can tell that water is an example of a dependent variable in the given experiment. When the water is fresh, it will lead to the high survival rate of fish and a section of the plants.
Results: The Great Lakes somewhat depict a trend in which the level of fishing is decreasing as a result of inefficiency in fish. Agricultural activities not only bring phosphorus into the lakes but also carry other related toxins. The resultant end is that the quantity of fish would reduce (Macreadie et al., 2013).
Number of Replicates: - In the experiment, the total number of replicate experiments were three in number. It is because; both the first three experiments displayed similar results in the long run outcome. As the norm, an experiment will only be efficient when there is a trending outcome in the first three experiments. More so, suppose the first and the second experiments are similar in their result, then the chances are high that the third experiment would be the determining factor.
Collecting and Analyzing Data
In this experiment, it mainly involved carrying out research on the level of phosphorus in a body of water that is adjacent to a farming region, with a controlled experiment of a lake region that is not as close to a farming region (Gordon, 2007). In the experiment, the collection of data involved two main ways including direct observation, as well as testing in a laboratory. Direct observation involved the growth rate of algae after a period of time. On the other hand, laboratory tests involved testing of the water, to determine the percentage of phosphorus in it.
The analysis of data mainly involved the subjecting of the results to particular statistical operations. The primary intention under this sector was not only the analysis of the results but also a careful examination to ensure viable results are ascertained.
References
Gordon, J. (2007). Planning research: A concise guide for the environmental and natural resources. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Chapter 5 (pp. 44-52)
Chapter 6 (pp. 53-67)
Macreadie, P. I., Hughes, A., &Kimbro, D. L. (2013). Loss of ‘Blue Carbon’ from Coastal Salt Marshes Following Habitat Disturbance. Plos ONE, 8(7), 1. Retrieved from the ProQuest database.
Anderson, G. (2004). How to write a paper in scientific journal style and format. Bates College Dept of Biology. Retrieved from http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWtoc.html
