The Best Conditions for Life in a Pond
Casey Judge, Matthew Frykenberg, Seamus O'Shaughnessy
University of Massachusetts Lowell TEAMS Academy – Environmental Biotechnology 2007
Introduction
Our Goal was to study the:
• Affects of Different Samples of Water on life living
in that water.
•We did this by creating four “ponds” and studying the
phosphorus and suspended solid levels in those
“ponds”.
•There are many elements that effect the life living in
the pond.
•Disturbing one aspect of the pond could through off an
entire ecosystem.
•This experiment shows the effect of different elements
on pond water, and hence directly the life of those
living in it.
•Research tells us that the ideal range of phosphorus
intake of living things is between 0.5% and 0.9
%.Hypothesis: Based on research we predict that the
pond/snow water will be best suitable for fish and other
large organisms that live in ponds.
Materials and methods
•We created four “ponds” to test our experiment
on.
•The first pond was 400 ml of pure pond water.
•The second pond was pond water diluted by
distilled water. This was diluted 1:1, therefore it
was 200 ml of pond water and 200 ml of distilled
water.
•The third pond was pond water diluted by tap
water collected from the UMass faucets. This was
also 400 ml and a 1:1 ratio.
•The final pond was pond water diluted by
atmospheric water (melted snow). This was also
400 ml and a 1:1 ratio.
After testing the phosphorus levels and suspended
solids we would have relatively thorough data to
determine the “pond” with the best conditions for
life (fish etc).
We conducted two types of experiments. The first
was to test the phosphorus levels in each of the
water samples. We performed this twice, first on
day 1 of the experiment. Then on day 5, after the
water had been settling for a few days.
The steps we took were to :
1. Obtain 100 ml of each of the samples.
2. Add 4 ml of ammonium molybate to each of
the 100 ml samples.
3. Next add 10 drops of stannous chloride to each
sample.
4. Cover and invert a few times.
5. Wait and let settle for 12 minutes.
6. Run each sample through the
spectrophotometer.
The second experiment was to test the suspended
solids.
1. 20 ml of the solution was obtained from each
sample.
2. One of the 20 ml was taken and run through the
filter after it was dampened with distilled water.
3. This was repeated for the other samples.
Conclusions
Even a slight
change in
phosphorus
levels can create
an algae bloom
The decrease in
phosphorus levels
is most likely due
to it settling out at
the bottom
We have concluded that the best conditions for fish
and most plants to live was found in the pond/snow
sample. This sample had a small, yet sufficient,
amount of phosphorus, for fish and most plants. The
low level of phosphorus makes it ultra-oligotrophic,
therefore diminishing the chance for algae blooms to
exist and their sunlight to get cut off. This is ideal
water for fish and most plants also because of the low
suspended solids, making the water clarity higher and
allowing oxygen to be more readily available and
sunlight to pass through easier.
The high levels of phosphorus in the tap makes
this water ideal for algae blooms to exist in a certain
pond, making this the least suitable for most plants
and fish to exist.
Figure 4. This is the results of the phosphorus level experiment.
This compared the samples to one another as well as compares
the two different days that the test was conducted.
We let the pond
settle just like an
actual pond would.
Sources to Cite
http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/nutrafinmax/lowpho
s.cfm (NUTRAFIN Fish food) (told us ideal
phosphorus intake)
http://www.lowellma.gov/depts/water/20060619-wqdt
(Lowell Water Utility Site)
http://www.ec.gc.ca/ceqgrcqe/English/Html/GAAG_Phosphorus_WQG.cfm
(Canadian Phosphorus Levels)
(a)
Future Experiments
Figure a. This is picture of the first three suspended solids we
completed. These are the pond, pond/tap, and pond/distilled. The
pond/snow sample went missing in the lab.
Due to a lack of time, we were not able to complete
the full list of experiments we would have liked to
complete to thoroughly examine the properties of the
water. Our experiment focused on the phosphorus
levels of the water. If a future experiment was
conducted, other tests including BOD and pH level
should be conducted to gain a bigger picture on the
best pond for living organisms.
(b)
Figure 5. This shows the different results of the suspended solid test
among the water samples. This also compares the water samples to
one another as well as the difference of the before and after settling
point.
Figure 2. This is an image on the suspended solid
technique. The glass wear is attached to the sink which,
when turned on, created suction to draw the solids to the
paper filter.
Figure b. This is picture of the second suspended solid test we
completed. These are the pond, pond/tap, pond/snow,
and pond/distilled. One can notice the large difference, this is due
to settling.
Matt with our
water samples