This week you will conduct a lake observation then write up a report describing your findings and answering the questions from the PowerPoint (listed below). This should be a 2-3 page paper (not including the title page and references page) and is two-fold. In the first half of your paper, you will conduct a brief lab observation and form a hypothesis for the results you find. In the second half of your paper, you will answer questions from the Where Are the Fish? ppt.
First, set aside two days to conduct your lab experiment. Go to a local lake or pond and check the temperature of the water on two different days. Observe things like the color of the water (clear, stained, green), what types of plants are growing in the water (emergent or submerged vegetation), what kinds of organisms are evident. Scoop up some of the bottom substrate in an ice cream bucket, put some lake vegetation in the bucket as well. What are some of the kinds of living organisms you see and what are their sizes? In your paper, you will write a few paragraphs describing your observations and forming a testable hypothesis from the information.
Alternative Option: If the lakes in your area are still frozen then go to the internet and on YouTube view the short video entitled Pond Ecology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gszr5vVtp58Links to an external site.It shows many of the kinds of organisms common in ponds and lakes.
Next, read through this week’s PowerPoint: Where Are the fish? After viewing the PowerPoint, answer the questions at the end of the PowerPoint (also below). You may find Figure 3.38 from the text to be of some help.
Why is the temperature warmer at the bottom than at the top?
What happens with oxygen levels as depth increases?
What would cause the oxygen level to change like this?
Why were no fish caught below eight feet under the ice?
As you work through the lab activity this week, take some time to watch the video – Global Lake Ecological Observatory NetworkLinks to an external site. There are a number of groups who routinely monitor lakes and information on basic things like temperature and oxygen can be valuable.
Please follow the APA Guidelines for Student PapersLinks to an external site. when completing this assignment.
Week 1 Lab Activity Report is due Sunday 11:59 p.m. (CST).
Lab Report Format
As you write up your 2-3 page report, follow this format:
1. Start with a brief introduction to the topic. Consider, Why is this topic important/why should we study this? Provide brief background information on the importance of topic of study.
2. Describe your initial observations of the lake. What did you find?
3. Form a brief hypothesis for the results that you found at the lake. Why are things the way that they are? This should be a testable hypothesis, so that even if you don’t pursue an answer yourself, it is a measurable postulation.
4. Next, answer the ppt question(s) addressed by the lab in several cohesive paragraphs.
Remember to include a title page and (if needed) a reference page. You need to use terminology and course concepts in your report.
