BIO101L Lab 6: Comparison of lotic and lentic ecosystems
Pre-Lab Activities:
 Dress warmly; we will be spending much of the lab outside.
 Define “lotic” & “lentic”
 How does the environment differ between lotic & lentic ecosystems?
 Would you expect to find different organisms in lotic & lentic ecosystems? Why?
Methods:
1. As a group of 4, develop a hypothesis relating to how the type of aquatic environment might
affect the species present.
2. We will visit a lotic and a lentic habitat on the south end of campus. Each group will:
 Collect a water sample for analysis of water quality
 Collect a plankton sample for examination of zooplankton & phytoplankton
 Collect a benthic sample for examination of macroinvertebrates
 Make a detailed description of the physical habitat in each ecosystem
3. Upon returning to the lab, each group will:
 Analysize their water quality samples
 Examine the types of organisms in their plankton samples
 Examine the types of organisms in their benthic samples
Assignment: (due by 5pm on 10/24): TYPED!!!
Each group should turn in:
1. A description of the two study sites
2. A description of the types and numbers of organisms found in each sample
3. A paragraph explaining whether your hypothesis was supported.