Algae

This week in aquatic science, I've learned more about algae than I thought I ever would. Some information included multiple different types of algae. First, I learned about Volvox. This algae forms in spheres of 500 or more cells which from a colony. It has two flagella and reproduces by daughter cells. This particular algae has a fishy odor and causes blooms during the summer, resulting in damage to gills of young fish.

Straurastrum is an algae that has a grassy odor. This algae has spike projectiles that increases its surface area, allowing it to float more easily.
 
Anabaena is and algae that has a pig pen odor. This algae is toxic, damages animals, and is associated with skin rashes. Anabaena is an algae that signals that the water quality is poor.

Microscopes

Microscopes are used to magnify objects. On a standard microscope, there are three different magnifications; scanning objective, low power objective, and high power objective.The ocular lens, or eyepiece, magnifies an object 10 times its actual size. Keeping this in mind, the scanning objective is 4 times the original object size, however, while looking through the ocular lens, the total magnification is 40 times the actual size of the object. The low power objective is 10 times the actual size, and when looking through the ocular lens, it's 100 times the size. The high power objective is 40 times the size of the object making the size of the object 400 times the actual size when looking through the ocular lens. Each objective is marked by a color ring around it. The scanning objective ring is red while the low power objective is yellow and the high power objective is blue.

To focus of an object, start on the scanning objective first, focusing using the coarse adjustment knob and the fine adjustment knob as needed. Then, switch to the low power objective using the coarse adjustment and fine adjustment knob as needed. Finally, make sure the coarse adjustment knob is lowered before switching to the high power objective because the lens could be scratched. Only use the fine adjustment knob to focus on the object.

To make a wet mount on a slide, take your specimen and place it in the middle of your slide. Make sure that it isn't too thick or else it will make it harder to observe it. Next, place one drop of water over the specimen. Then, place the cover slip at a 45 degree angle with one edge touching the water drop and gently let go.
 
To stain a specimen, follow the same steps to make a wet mount. Next, place one drop of methylene blue on the edge of the cover slip. Then, place the edge of a paper towel on the opposite side of the cover slip. The paper towel will draw the water out from under the cover slip and pull the dye under the cover slip.

Doing this lab didn't really affect my microscope skills at all. I learned all this information when I was in middle school. The only thing I can think of is that you only clean the lenses with lens paper. Other than that, I knew all the information.   
I like sloths

Amphibian Facts

Amphibians are animals that live partially in water and partially on land. There are many interesting facts about amphibians. Some include:

The wood frog lives in places as far north as Canada and Alaska, and is able to survive the freezing winters by allowing itself to freeze.

The largest amphibian in the world is the Chinese Giant Salamander,  reaching up to 1.8 m in length from the nose to the tip of the tail. Other large amphibians include the Japanese giant salamander and the Goliath frog.

Most frogs have teeth on the upper jaw but none on the lower jaw, while toads don't have any teeth.

The plethodontids, also called "lung-less salamanders" absorb oxygen through their skin and mouth to breath since they lack lungs. Of all salamanders, the plethodontids are the most diverse group, with about 376 species. They can be found in regions such as North America, Central America, South America, southern Europe, Sardinia, and Korea. 

Nearly one-third of all amphibians are known to be threatened or extinct. The largest numbers of threatened species are found in Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador. Amphibians in the Caribbean are also under serious threat where high percentages of the amphibians that live in the region are threatened or extinct.

Aquarium Update

So today, unlike usual, our fish Cow was staying near the bottom, not the middle like he usually does. Also, Fish started to venture down further into the tank, closer to the other fish. Extacy was out in the open today instead of being behind Squidward's house like usual. Meep, however, has not changed his behavior at all. He still floats in his corner against the glass being anti-social. All of the fish have feces attached to them at this point . Thinking that if we scared them it would fall of, we tapped on the glass and it actually worked. There's also a buildup of feces at the bottom of our aquarium which is why, when we did our water quality test, our nitrate level increased from a 5.0 to a 10.0. To help with this, we added plants which help to lower nitrate levels. Our ammonia level went down from a 1.0 to a .25 which is really good, keeping our fish healthy. The temperature of our aquarium has stayed the same since we began. 

Watersheds

A watershed  is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Being just north of Dallas, Texas, I live in the Trinity River watershed. It's important to monitor the quality of our local watershed because harmful pollutants can be washed into our freshwater from point, able to see the source of it, and nonpoint pollution, pollution that can't be traced back to single source. The benefits of watersheds include improved water quality, habitat protection, and groundwater recharge.
 

Ambystoma mexicanum

The Ambystoma mexicanum, or more commonly referred to as Axolotl, is a freshwater albino Salamander that is found in freshwater,  known only from central Mexico, on the southern edge of Mexico City, in canals and wetlands in the general vicinity of Xochimilco including outside the Xochimilco city limits, around the Chalco wetland.

Chalco and Xochimilco of the Valley of Mexico near Mexico City

Axolotls are almost extinct in their natural habitat as a result of  the introduction of predatory fish and habitat loss.

Axolotls has a flat-shaped broad head that is much wider than the body of the axolotl. They also has feathery gills which protrude from either side of the head of the axolotl, allowing it to breath under water. As with newts and salamanders, axolotls are able to regenerate limbs that become damaged or detached. 

Being carnivorous, axolotl eats worms and insect larvae that develop under the surface of the water along with molluscs, crustaceans and some small species of fish. 

Axolotls can live for up to 25 years although the average axolotl rarely gets much older than the age of 15. Female axolotls can lay anywhere from 100 to 1,000 eggs which are coated with a sticky substance that helps them to stick to plants and rocks in the water to keep them safe. After about a month of development, tiny axolotl babies emerge into the open water.

I chose this animal because, well, look at it! It looks so cute and adorable, so why not?

are almost extinct in their native habitat, largely due to the introduction of predatory fishes and habitat loss.

are almost extinct in their native habitat, largely due to the introduction of predatory fishes and habitat loss.

 

Chalco and Xochimilco of the Valley of Mexico near Mexico City

Chalco and Xochimilco of the Valley of Mexico near Mexico City

My Aquarium

As of April 18th, my aquarium is still going quite well. I added 3 new fish to it: a Black Molly we named Extacy,

a Dalmatian Lyretail Molly named Cow,

and a Red Mickey Mouse Platy named Meep.

Also, we named our minnow Fish.

I noticed that Fish tends to stay near the top of the water, rarely going deeper than an inch while Meep is always alone in his corner on the bottom left side of the aquarium. Cow, earning his name seems to always be hungry. By far, he eats more than any of the other fish. He also tends to chill in the middle of the tank, swimming slowly in circles. Extacy, however, seems to be constantly darting around the tank and rarely eats. When he's not darting around, he hides behind Squidward's house.

For our ammonia and nitrate test, nothing has changes in the numbers. Ammonia is still at a 1.0 and nitrate is still at a 5.0. The only thing we can really do is double the amount of bacteria we've been adding to the aquarium. We plan to do this before the next water test.  

Pond Organisms

During class today, we observed organisms in a sample from a local pond. Within this small sample, there was numerous organisms.

Of these organisms, I found 3 different species. They included:
The Water Boatman Larva. An interesting fact about the Water Boatman is that they make rowing motions when they swim

The Springtail. An interesting fact about the Springtail is that it is able to "spring" or jump forward a distance many times its own length.
 

The Dryopid Larva. An interesting fact about the Dryopid is that it can only be found in Texas. 
 
 After adding these organisms to my aquarium, the amount of filth in the water significantly increased.

Freshwater Careers

There are many freshwater careers, including wildlife biologists, wildlife ecologists, and entomologists.
A wildlife biologists studies the living organisms in an ecosystem. It's important to study living organisms to understand how they function and how we can preserve them.

A wildlife ecologists studies how living and non-living interact within an ecosystem. Understanding how organisms interact with each other is important because without that knowledge, how would we be able to protect their ecosystem?



An entomologists studies insects. Studying insects is important because scientists help others understand their life cycles and their distribution across and environment.

Oligotrophic Mesotrophic and Eutrophic

Ecological succession is the observed process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. The terms oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic can be used to determine the age of lake. An oligotrophic lake have few plants, animals, and nutrients, or PAN. Oligotrophic lakes are newer because of the lack if PAN.

Mesotrophic lakes have a medium amount of PAN, informing scientists that the lake is medium in age. 

Eutrophic lakes have the highest amount of PAN. As a result of this, scientists can determine that eutrophic lakes are the oldest of all the lakes.

These terms are important in freshwater ecology because as the lakes progress in age, the ecology changes. In my aquarium, it would be considered mesotrophic while in Lewisville lake would be considered eutrophic.

Freshwater Ecology

Freshwater ecology is the study of the environment of freshwater. By studying the plants and animals in a body of water, as well as the components of the water itself, a scientist specializing in freshwater ecology can discover vital information about the health and needs of a freshwater system. The more people understand about freshwater ecology, the more they can work to protect these very fragile living environments. There are many problems in the ecology of the freshwater ecosystem. Many human changes have left these systems fragile and broken. Yet, many can be repaired or at least saved by stopping the problems. 

The differences between rivers and ponds include:  a pond is a smaller body of water that does not lead to a sea or ocean whereas, a river may lead to one of them or it might have a waterfall. .A pond is a body of water that is not a tributary to a larger body of water such as a bay, sea, or river. A river is a flowing body of water that connects to a bay or sea. Also, a pond is standing water, whereas a river is moving water. 

Pond

River

Aquarium Progress

My aquarium is progressing quite well. However, the last water test I preformed resulted in 1.0 for ammonia, which is not hospitable for fish yet. Luckily though, the nitrate test resulted in a 5.0, which is good for fish to live in. The temperature of the water was 21 degree C, or 70 degree F which is a good temperature for the tropical fish I plan to buy. The only noticeable change about my aquarium is the algae growth on Squirdward's house and the water is not turbid at all. Other than that, not much has changed. 

Water Issue

I learned many ways in which water is used daily throughout society.
Five facts I learned include:

• Three Gorges Dam is the largest dam in the world, holding about 10.3 trillion gallons of water.
• Three Gorges Dam holds so much water that it actually slows Earth's rotation
• It takes more water to make a steak than a salad
• Aerating sewage in a necessary process to purify water to get out all the grit out of it
• The Mediterranean and southern Africa would suffer the most extreme droughts as a result of global warming.

I think that Dani and Allen's presentation over dams was the best because they actually knew what they were talking about. I think my presentation could've been improved had I included more videos throughout the entire presentation.

 

Water Presentation

My water issue topic was the environmental problems caused by recreation use at Highland Village Kids Kastle pond.  I chose this topic because it affects my community. I'm concerned with animal and child safety. There is chemical runoff from cleaning bathrooms that goes into the pond by the giant playground. Many animals live and use the pond for a source of life, and the chemicals entering the pond threaten their lives. Similarly, children are constantly playing in the contaminated water. The side effects from the chemicals can threaten the children's health. By being aware of this issue, we can help preserve the animals' habitat and ensure that the children are being protected from harmful chemicals.

Water Property

Joe and I had the water property  buoyancy. For our demonstration, we placed and egg in a cup that was halfway full of water. We let the egg sink to the bottom to show how the egg didn't have much buoyancy. Then we took the egg out and put slat in the water and stirred it until all the salt was dissolved. Then we placed the egg back into the water. As a result of the added salt, the egg's buoyancy increased as the water's density increased, allowing it to float with more ease.


Luckily, everything went as planned during our demonstration because we planned it out carefully.
Five thing I learned during everyone's presentation included

• Turbidity is how cloudy the water is
• Water helps mediate the extreme weather changes by having a high specific heat, allowing marine organisms can adjust more easily
• If there's not enough porosity, plants won't be able to get enough air to grow naturally
• Salt water conducts water better than distilled water because of the higher concentration of minerals in salt water
• pH stands for the power of hydrogen

Aquarium Setup

Today, Megan, Joe and I set up our aquarium. Our procedure was quite extensive:
1) Find our partners
2) Choose aquarium
3) Clean the gravel using sifters
4) Rinse the gravel thoroughly
5) Clean all the rocks and decorations NO SOAP
6) Move the aquarium before adding water
7) Add Water
8) Clean again if the water becomes turbid (cloudy)
9) De-chlorinate because chlorine will kill the fish
10) Remove gravel from the sink
11) Wipe down the lab stations and it's done! 

Ammonia Test and Nitrate Test

Procedure for an ammonia test

• Put 5 mL of aquarium water in a test tube
• Put 8 drops of ammonia bottle 1 in the test tube - hold the bottle vertical
• Put 8 drops of ammonia bottle 2 in the test tube - hold the bottle vertical
• Swish up the liquids 
• Wait 5 minutes
• Look at the card and hope for yellow
• If the water isn't yellow or is higher than .25 ppm add bacteria

The ammonia can come from fish waste or simple tap water can contain ammonia. High levels of ammonia can harm fish, leading to extensive damage to tissues, especially the gills and kidney, physiological imbalances, impaired growth, decreased resistance to disease, or death.

Procedure for a nitrate test

• Put 5 mL of aquarium in a test tube
• Put 10 drops of nitrate bottle 1 - hold the bottle vertical
• Swirl up
• Take nitrate bottle 2 and shake for 30 seconds
• Put 10 drops of nitrate bottle 2 - hold the bottle vertical
• Shake for 1 minute
• Wait for 5 minutes
• Look at the card and if higher than 40 ppm, place plant into the aquarium

Nitrates can come from algae growth in the aquarium. Nitrates can harm fish if the level is too high, causing slower growth rates or even death.

What Is An Observation?

An observation is the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information.
For example, an observation of this tank is that all the plants are green or that the rocks at the bottom are neutral colors.
An opinion is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. An example of this is that I think  the pinkish fish is the most appealing because of its color.
An inference is a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. For example, none of the fish in the tank are aggressive because they aren't attacking each other.  This is based on the fact that in the picture, all of the fish are swimming peacefully among each other.

A good observation would include observations made by multiple senses, not just sight. Observation is important in scientific inquiry because without it, scientists could possibly miss a slight change that could have drastic effects. Inferences have a place in science while opinions do not. This is because opinions aren't necessarily factually based. Inferences, however, are in fact based on evidence and reasoning. 

Aquarium Plans

For our aquarium, Megan, Joseph, and I plan to do a Spongebob theme. Megan owns the pineapple house Spongebob lives in, Squidward's house, and the Krusty Krab restaurant.

We plan to buy one yellow fish, to be Spongebob, a blue fish to be Squidward, and a pink/red fish to be Patrick. My goal for this assignment is to not kill my fish. 

I chose these organisms because I like fish and I'd rather take care of a fish than take care of a turtle or shrimp. To survive, the fish require a healthy living environment, meaning clean water, the correct water temperature, and good quality food. These needs can easily be maintained by checking our aquarium daily and adjusting to fit the fish's needs. By maintaining these needs, hopefully our fish will survive. 

Round Robin

During class, I learned more about wetlands. The definition of a wetland is and consisting of marshes or swamps and that is saturated with water. Wetlands provides water purification, flood control, and shoreline stability.

For properties of water, I learned that the specific heat of water was 4.186 J/g C. Specific heat is the amount of heat required the temperature of the unit mass of a given substance by a given amount.
Similarly, we discussed the pH level of water, which is the acidity. - Victoria Mehlhaff -