Populations Lab Report
Instructions: The Virtual Populations Lab is on the lesson assessment page. Gather data to
evaluate Sebastian’s Snorkel Spot’s claim that a new factory is polluting the coral reef. Follow
the instructions as you move through the lab and record your data and observations in the lab
report.
Title: Underwater Pollution
Objective(s): Sebastian needs to figure out what’s happening to the reef in his snorkeling
spot, or else he will lose all his customers
Hypothesis: On the bottom of Slide #5 on the virtual lab
If pollution levels increase, then the health of the coral reef will decrease.
Variables:
Independent Variable The thing that has changed is the additional
pollution and runoff from the factory.
Dependent Variable The data you will collect is on the health of
the reef, as measured by water clarity,
dissolved oxygen, live coral coverage, and
stoplight parrotfish population.
Procedure
During the research phase, you found that the factory is not using nutrient-removal treatment on
the water it releases. Excess nutrients in the water encourage algae growth, which can smother
coral. To monitor the water quality and health of the coral reef, you will collect data on five
factors: water clarity, dissolved oxygen levels, percentage of live coral coverage, number of
juvenile parrot fish observed, and number of mature parrotfish observed.
Data:
Record your data from the virtual lab in the data table.
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Week Water Dissolved Percentage of Number of Number of
Clarity (m) Oxygen Level Live Coral Juvenile Mature
(mg/L) Coverage (%) Parrotfish Parrotfish
0 6m 14:00 mg 35% 8 12
1 4m 12:00 mg 30% 7 12
2 3m 10:00 mg 25% 7 11
3 3m 9:00 mg 25% 5 11
4 2m 9:00 mg 20% 4 9
Data Analysis:
Select one abiotic factor that was monitored, either water clarity or dissolved oxygen level, and
create a line graph showing the measurement of the abiotic factor over time. Then select one
biotic factor that was monitored, either coral coverage, juvenile parrotfish, or mature parrotfish,
and create a line graph showing the measurement of the biotic factor over time.
Insert Chart [Hint: don’t forget to create a line graph to analyze your data
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Water clarity.
Conclusion:
Include the following as a summary paragraph in the conclusion of your lab report:
Analysis of the results of the experiment
o Based on your data, describe the overall trend for each of the five factors that
were measured?
o What information do your graphs show? Describe the correlation between the two
factors that you graphed
Rationale for the support or rejection of the hypothesis
The graphs I used to measure my data you can see the percentage of the coral coverage and
you can see the moment where the water becomes less clear which means the pollution
affecting the coral reef.
Questions:
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Using what you have learned in the lesson and the virtual lab activity, answer the following
questions in complete sentences.
1. Identify the abiotic and biotic factors in this lab.
Abiotic is the clarity of the water and the dissolution of oxygen
2. Describe the symbiotic relationship between each of the organisms.
Corals are homes to the fish they stay in them and water is needed for them to be able to
breathe.
3. Explain how the limiting factors affect carrying capacity in each population
If the corals decrease the fish will decrease as well and if there is no water whats so ever the
fish will die.
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