Freshwater Ecosystem Lab

Freshwater Ecosystem Lab

Part A

Results Table

Dissolved Oxygen Test

pH Test

Nitrate Test

Phosphate Test

Some pictures from my Lab tests, I used the water from my kitchen faucet. I think the book did an okay job giving instructions out but the videos did help a lot. I started this lab on Monday and I am finally able to finish it today (Friday)! I actually forgot that I had started the coliform test about an hour after I had mixed the water with the tablet in the tube so I ended up doing it twice. I got the same result each time so that was good. 

Part B

Summary

For my experiment I used the water from my facet in my home. I noticed after finishing all of the tests that the water overall was pretty good. It is a bit short on dissolved oxygen and the nitrate test wasn’t the best either. I believe one of the reasons the dissolved oxygen was low was because the water was warm, but also because of the area it comes from. I think that as long as the Nitrate level isn’t high I’m okay with it being fair. If it was high that can cause harm to humans drinking the water. I really didn’t understand the temperature change test, the instructions were not very specific.

Reaction

All in all I am pleased with the fact the Coliform test came back negative! That one was scary, I learned that water has more components then I originally thought. It is nice to know that the different levels of these components will affect the aquatic life if the level is just slightly changed. To much of one can kill the organisms and to little of something can also kill the organisms.