Water Quality Virtual Lab
Water Quality Virtual Lab
Water Quality Virtual Lab
6. Analysis
a. What are the names of the species used in this experiment?
i. Species 1 in this experiment was a sideswimmer, species 2 was a leech, and species 3 was a
stonefly nymph.
b. Which of these species was the most tolerant of increased acidity in the aquarium?
i. The leech, a representative of Bioassessment group 3, was the most tolerant of the three species
used in the experiment.
c. Which species was the least tolerant?
i. Species 3, or the Stonefly Nymph, was the least tolerant to acidity of the three species tested in
the experiment.
d. Describe how acid precipitation affects ecosystems.
i. The negative effects of acid rain are visible in both land and aquatic habitats. As acid rain flows
through rivers and streams, it can leach aluminum from soil clay particles and cause negative
effects on the existing aquatic wildlife. When aluminum is leached from the soil by acid rain,
plants are also negatively affected. It may also remove minerals and nutrients from the soil
needed to grow.
e. What is an indicator species? How are indicator species used to assess pollution levels in the
environment?
i. An indicator species can be used to determine the water quality and relative health of an aquatic
ecosystem. If a species from Bioassessment Group 1, which cannot tolerate pollution, is present
in an aquatic ecosystem, the scientists can infer that there is little or no pollution in the water. If
there is an abundance of species from Bioassessment Group 3, which are extremely tolerant of
pollution, and no species from Bioassessment 1, the scientists can infer that the water quality is
poor.
f. Suppose you are an ecologist studying the effects of acid precipitation on plant life. Describe an
experiment you would perform in order to determine which plant species would be a useful indicator
species for acid rain pollution.
i. If I was an ecologist studying the effects of acid rain precipitation I would go to a pond where no
pollution is present and use a frog from it as a constant. This would be the indicator species
because a frog's skin is moist and permeable allowing pollutants inside. After that is collected a
frog from a pond that has experienced acid rain will be collected. This will be compared to the
constant and the overall health of both frogs will be evaluated,