Background Information:
After viewing the DVD “The Pond” it can be said that all ponds share the following
characteristics:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
My Prediction
Based upon knowledge from “The Pond” DVD I expect to see _________________
______________________________________________________________ since
in the video it states that ______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Observations (Before Experiment)
Abiotic:
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) _____
Dissolved Carbon Dioxide (mg/L)
(<5 poor, 5-10 good, >10 excellent)
(Healthy range: <25)
Air Temperature (Co)
_____
(changes daily)
Water Temperature (Co)
______
______
(changes seasonally)
Conductivity (uS/cm3)
_____
(Healthy range: 150-500)
Acidity (pH)
Turbidity (cm)
______
(Healthy range >80)
_____
(Healthy range: 7-9pH)
Biotic:
Species
Population
of Species
How is this species adapted to this
environment?
1
2
3
4
5
Biodiversity = ______
Total Population = ______
Experiment
Dependent Variables: ________________________________________________
Independent Variables: ______________________________________________
Control (Variables I will not change): ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Experiment 1:
If I change the __________________________ what will happen to the
_________________________________________________________?
Experiment 2:
If I change the __________________________ what will happen to the
_________________________________________________________?
My Predictions
Experiment 1:
If the ________ is __________ then the _________________________
__________________________________________________________.
* I think this will happen because _______________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Experiment 2:
If the ________ is __________ then the _________________________
__________________________________________________________.
* I think this will happen because _______________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
My Experiment Set-Up
Experiment 1: I will change the: ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
My Test Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Experiment 2: I will change the: ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
My Test Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Control: __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Observations (After Experiment 1)
Abiotic:
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) ______
Dissolved Carbon Dioxide (mg/L)
(<5 poor, 5-10 good, >10 excellent)
(Healthy range: <25)
Air Temperature (Co)
______
(changes daily)
______
(Healthy range: 150-500)
Turbidity (cm)
(Healthy range >80)
______
(Healthy range: 7-9pH)
Biotic:
Species
1
2
3
4
5
6
Biodiversity =
______
(changes seasonally)
Conductivity (uS/cm3)
Acidity (pH)
Water Temperature (Co)
______
Population of Species
Total Population =
______
Observations (After Experiment 2)
Abiotic:
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) ______
Dissolved Carbon Dioxide (mg/L)
(<5 poor, 5-10 good, >10 excellent)
(Healthy range: <25)
Air Temperature (Co)
Water Temperature (Co)
______
(changes daily)
______
______
(changes seasonally)
Conductivity (uS/cm3)
______
Turbidity (cm)
(Healthy range: 150-500)
Acidity (pH)
______
(Healthy range >80)
______
(Healthy range: 7-9pH)
Biotic:
Species
Population of Species
1
2
3
4
5
6
Biodiversity =
Total Population =
Observations (Control)
Abiotic:
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) ______
Dissolved Carbon Dioxide (mg/L)
(<5 poor, 5-10 good, >10 excellent)
(Healthy range: <25)
Air Temperature (Co)
______
(changes daily)
Water Temperature (Co)
______
______
(changes seasonally)
Conductivity (uS/cm3)
______
(Healthy range: 150-500)
Acidity (pH)
Turbidity (cm)
(Healthy range >80)
______
(Healthy range: 7-9pH)
Biotic:
Species
Population of Species
1
2
3
4
5
6
Biodiversity =
Total Population =
______
Microscope Observations (40 X Mag)
Draw 2 organisms that you found in the pond
Further Analysis: How polluted is this pond?
Notes for Pond Study Lab Project
Key Terms: Quantitative, Qualitative, Acid Rain, Pollutants, Dependent,
Independent Variable, Biodiversity, pH
Qualitative vs. Quantitative:
Qualitative Observations: Observations that cannot be measured or are described better using
words rather than numbers
Quantitative Observations: Observations that can be measured or are more effectively
described using numbers
How Do Humans Affect Pond Life
Humans affect pond life by polluting local waterways through a variety of methods. The
following are some examples we will focus on:
1. Fertilizer
2. Acid Rain
3. Salt
Acid Rain
Acid rain occurs by both natural and human made processes. Natural processes include
erupting volcanoes, and rotting vegetation. When humans burn fossil fuels; carbon dioxide,
along with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released to the atmosphere.
These gases react with water and create acids. Acids change the pH of local ponds and soil.
pH scale
pH is a scale that rates how acidic or how basic a substance is. The more acidic
the more sour a substance is and the more basic the more bitter it is.
What is the pH of regular water?
Dependent vs. Independent Variables
The independent variable is the sample in an experiment that YOU will change.
The dependent variable is what changes during the experiment.
The control is what is kept the same to compare to.