Final Lab 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 | No smell at all, and is clear |
| 2 | Smells like vegetable oil, light yellowing within the top layer (oil), but still clear at the bottom layer (water); with three bubbles forming in between oil and water |
| 3 | Heavy vinegar smell, no discoloration it is clear to sight with with tiny bubbles at the top |
| 4 | Smells like dish soap a little, slightly cloudy white discoloration with bubbles forming |
| 5 | No smell, milky brown discoloration; no bubbles |
| 6 | Slight dirt/mud smell, more dense brown color with a little oil layer forming at the top |
| 7 | Smells like vinegar, yellow brown color a little transparent; a few bubbles forming |
| 8 | Smells like dish/laundry soap, brownish color; very fine little bubbles |
1. What effects did each of the contaminants have on the water in the experiment? Use Table 1 for reference.
Answer = It change the composition of the water in different ways depending on the contaminants being added. For example; the oil changes the density of the water by making the water settle on the bottom of the oil with a slight discoloration within water being contaminated. Vinegar just simply made the water produce an odor with no discoloration; but it obvious that the water was contaminated. The soap changed the water into a cloudy milky white state forming bubbles taking water from its original clear odorless state.
2. What kinds of human activities could cause oil, acids, and detergents to contaminate the water supply?
Answer = Simply the lack of knowledge, improper use, and disposing of the contaminates are how humans contribute the contamination of the water supply; either from improper disposing of these elements into large body of water, or accidental oil spills. Simple acts of washing cars and conducting maintenance (engine oil change) on our vehicles can cause damage to the water supply because the lack of knowledge of know where the contaminates will drain to.
3. What are the differences in color, smell, visibility, etc. between the “contaminated” water and the “treated” water?
Answer = The contaminated water smells like dirt with particles floating inside, and the treated water smells like bleach. The contaminated water still contains tiny bubbles and dirt particles but still transparent, while the treated water does not have any bubbles or particles in it. The treated water has a bleach smell and is yellowish in color at times.
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 = Alum was added to the dirty water since when mixing Alum with the dirty water it allows the particles to stick to the Alum and then pushes all of these particles to the bottom of the water. The dirty water is then put through a filter of sand, charcoal, and gravel in order for any of the smaller particles to stick to them and makes the water clean and free of any other particle. After I did all this I then had to add a few drops of bleach so I could disinfect the water from any other dirt particle.
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 = I believe that the water that is contaminated will not grow or contain any species, and the water that is purified will grow more and contain more species. But I will say natural mineral water (tap) will be the best because it is untouched (not contaminated by pollutants or purifying elements) and will contain the earth natural elements that are needed in plant biodiversity. So with that being said….
If the water is pure then it will more plant biodiversity, then if the water was contaminated.
© eScience Labs, 2016
