CE/NR797 Lab: Biotic Interactions
[Prepared
by R. Fortner for ¡§Digital and
Field Techniques for Coastal Environment Studies,¡¨ 7/02]
The
purpose of this set of lab activities is to reinforce the field experiences
of the week and bring together the relationships among organisms and between
the biological and physical components of the lake.
SUBMIT
BY MONDAY, JULY 15 PM. Some time (~2 hours) will be available on Friday for
completion of last parts.
A.
Food Web. Construct a food web using 20 organisms seen in class over
the course of the term. For each food relationship, show an arrow going from
the food to the consumer of it, and document the relationship using library
resources. That is, make a list of references with page numbers to confirm
that X eats Y. You could put a reference number on the arrow, have a pop-up
note with the reference, or devise another system of documentation. ( 30 point )
B.
Geography of invading species.
Make a world map on which you document the origin and current
distribution of 10 Great Lakes aquatic invaders. At least 2 of the 10 must
be plants. Consider developing layers to overlay a digital map, or
powerpoint with incoming arrows and spreading impacts, other other creative
way to display the data. Origins and distribution information is found at
the Earth Systems Education site: http://earthsys.ag.ohio-state.edu
by clicking on ¡§Exotic Aquatics on the Move.¡¨ (
25 points
)
C.
Plankton density over time.
We have numerous plankton samples to examine, and there are ways to
quantify or otherwise characterize and compare the density of the samples.
Using equal quantities of each sample, plate out and count samples on marked
Petri dishes. Make a time series chart of plankton types (general) and
relative densities. Alternatively (if plate count is not working), do a
volumetric sample by date and determine the amount of algae that settle out. Compare the samples with your physical data and determine if
there is a relationship of the changes to some water characteristic. Read
references suggested and relate the earlier research to your findings. (
25 points)
D.
Concept map of eutrophication and biological impacts.
Make a concept map showing the relationships between natural factors of
eutrophication in the lake, human factors that accelerate it, how it works,
and what impacts it has on the lake¡¦s biota. Your map will probably
include at least 25 concepts, but please use as many as needed to tell the
story as you understand it. ( 20 points)