Name: ______Partner: ______Date: ______

SNC1DInvestigating an aquarium pond ecosystem

Introduction

Pond ecosystems involve the interaction of a wide variety of organisms within the water in order to remain stable and ______. Many of the organisms important to the survival of pond ecosystems are extremely ______, and the use of a ______is necessary in order to see them. These tiny organisms are called ______and ______, and they form the basis of many aquatic food chains. Plankton is the general term used to describe these tiny organisms. ______are______meaning that they are able to make their own food. ______are______meaning that they need to consume other organisms in order to survive. ______often eat ______. The ______provide food for insects and small fish within the ecosystem. In turn, theseinsects and small fish are often eaten by larger fish.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to observe ______

______.

Material and Methods

Materials

-Pond ecosystem (in jar)
-Eye dropper
-Depression slide / -Cover slip
-Microscope

Methods

  1. Use the eye dropper to obtain a small amount of water from the pond ecosystem.
  2. Squeeze the eye dropper gently to release a small amount of water onto the concave side of the depression slide.
  3. Place the cover slip onto the slide, covering the drop of water completely.
  4. Using the microscope, observe and draw one organism (zooplankton or phytoplankton) from the pond water.
  1. Clean up your lab area, turn-off your microscope and wash your depression slide and cover slip.

Observations

Results Summary(answer questions 1-3 on lined paper)

  1. Listthree abiotic factors of the pond ecosystem in your jar? (be specific)
  2. List three biotic factors of the pond ecosystem in your jar? (be specific)
  3. Quantitative Observations: Complete the calculations for the size estimation on the

diagram sheet.

Discussion

Answer these questions all together in one paragraph. Use full sentences when completing the questions.

  1. Do you consider your ecosystem to be sustainable without human intervention? Why or why not? Explain your answer fully providing evidence and specific details.
  2. Do you think your ecosystem is biodiverse? Why or why not? Explain your answer fully.
  3. Is the organism you drew a consumer or producer? Explain how you can tell.
  4. Based on the size of the organism you drew, what can you say about the numbers of plankton compared to the numbers of fish in the aquarium pond ecosystem? Explain why this must occur in a sustainable ecosystem by considering the 10% rule.

Instructions for Biological Drawings

Biological drawings provide information about organisms that are observed through the microscope. There are special rules for biological drawings:

  1. Draw with a sharp pencil- no pen and no colours.
  2. Do not shade your drawing- if there are darker areas you may stipple them with the tip of your pencil instead of shading.
  1. Draw the organism the size that you see it- when you look through the microscope you will see a circle (this is your field of view) with organisms in it. The circle on the drawing paper represents this field of view. Attempt to draw the organism so that it takes up the same amount of the circle as what you see when you look through the microscope.

SNC-1D

Aquarium Pond Ecosystem Lab

Marking Scheme

Sections / Minimal requirements are met / Some of the requirements are met / Most of the requirements are met / All of the requirements are met / Weight
Communication
Purpose: A clear purpose to the project is given
Results Summary:
Three abiotic and biotic factors are listed. / 1x
Proper Conventions / 1x
Overall Communication /8
Inquiry
Drawing techniques are followed and diagram resembles the organism / 1x
Calculations of Size
- measurements are accurate
- size is calculated correctly / 1x
Discussion
- sustainability and biodiversity of the ecosystem is explained / 2x
Discussion
- type of organism is described
- compared numbers of plankton and fish, explained in terms of 10% rule / 2x
Overall Inquiry /24