Environmental Pollution

What were the hypothesis?

1. Sodium chloride (salt) will inhibit the growth of Ankistrodesmus algae. 2. Miracle-Gro (fertilizer) will inhibit the growth of Ankistrodesmus algae.

What were the control variables?

1. Total volume in the tubes 2. Amount of algae solutions in tubes 3. Time measuring them (2 weeks) 4. Type of pollutant (NaCl)

What were the experimental variables?

Algae growth

Describe the organism used and how was its growth measured?

Ankistrodesmus is a genus of green algae that grow in fresh water lakes or ponds. This is why salt is a pollutant to them. They are easy to take care of and grow fast. Growth was measured using a spectrophotometer to measure the light absorbed by the algae. The higher the absorbance values correlated with algae growth.

Describe the nature of the negative control group

The NC group of algae grew steadily because it did NOT have the "effect" (pollutant) inhibiting it.

What is the concept of pollution?

The introduction of any containment to a natural environment that causes negative effects on the organisms living there.

What was the function of AlgaGro reagent?

To provide nutrients to the algae in an equal controlled manner in all tubes.