Blepharisma Americana Case Study

Acidity increases by ten times for one pH level increase. Soil pH is a major constraint on plant growth. Since plants are the base of the ecosystem, pillbugs may be affected by the pH change as well. Soil acidity can be assisted by addition of certain other plants, like AM fungi, or the addition of basic materials (Kawahara, et. al., 2016). We decided to investigate which pH level pillbugs naturally preferred. We created three different choice chambers that had pH levels of 5, 7, and 9. This experiment will test if pH has an effect on pillbug choice of habitat.We predicted that there will be more pillbugs in the choice chamber with a pH of 7 because a pH level of 5.5 to 7 is considered to be the normal, natural environment of pillbugs. Usually, the pH that pillbugs are found in are 5.5 to 7 (Kawahara, et. al., 2016). In each habitat, the number of pillbugs will be counted every minute for 15 minutes. If a pillbug is in between chambers during the counting, they may be counted for the chamber to which they are

The Artemia franciscana can survive in extreme conditions of salinity, water depth, and temperature (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010), but do A. franciscana prefer these conditions or do they simply cope with their surroundings? This experiment explored the extent of the A. franciscanas preference towards three major stimuli: light, temperature, and acidity. A. franciscana are able to endure extreme temperature ranges from 6 ̊ C to 40 ̊ C, however since their optimal temperature for breeding is about room temperature it can be inferred that the A. franciscana will prefer this over other temperatures (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). This is much the same in regards to acidity as Artemia franciscana, in general thrive in

Different aquatic invertebrates live in different micro habitats (smaller habitats) at Lake Tonetta. Some live on the surface of the water. Others live in the bottom of the lake, or deep within the sediments at the bottom of the lake. The water pH is important because they only can live in a specific pH 6.5-7.5.When we visit the lake our group checked the biodiversity (The variety of plants and animal species in an environment)of Lake Tonetta by counting the aquatic invertebrates in a sample obtained using dip nets and bottom scrapers. During our trip, we found beetles, snails, worms ,

The experiment took place in a laboratory setting, and the first step was obtaining sixty individual Daphnia magna (that were neither adults nor tiny offspring) from a large tank in the lab. These individuals were equally divided into three groups; low density, medium density, and high density. The twenty Daphnia assigned to the low density group were split into four groups of five and pipetted into one of four tubes filled with 10mL of Chlamydomonas algae. The twenty Daphnia assigned to the medium density group were split into two groups of ten and placed into one of two tubes also filled up to 10mL with Chlamydomonas. The final twenty Daphnia were all placed into a single tube filled with 10mL of the algae. In order to avoid suffocation-related

In this lab, we studied the health and response of a protist community in an environmental change. The objective of this lab was to study and learn about how variables, such as a more acidic environment, impact the community in a habitat. Furthermore, it was also to learn about how diversity is quantified. To test this, we added protist communities to habitats of different pH levels, from 7 to 4, and let them live there for a week. We then studied the results and investigated which protists lived better in which environments. We discovered that at a pH of 7, the neutral pH of spring water, protists were able to live. As the pH was decreased, however, protists began to die off and could not survive in such acidic conditions. We also noticed that the lower the pH, the lower the diversity because fewer types of protists could survive. We can use this information to see how acidic conditions in nature such as those caused by acid rain can affect communities. We now know that an acidic environment can be extremely harmful to a community and so we should be more cautious of acid rain. If acidic conditions are bad for protists, it is quite possible that they are unfavorable for humans as well.

Acidification in the oceans kill the plant/animal life that is trying to strive at thy shore

All species were collected along with soil substrate from Jean Lafitte Historical National Park and Preserve, Barataria, New Orleans, USA (Denslow and Battaglia 2002). Swamp water was also collected and brought to the SIUC greenhouse. Each microcosm experiment comprised of forty eight aquaria (40×19×12cm in a completely randomized design (4 levels of salinity or desiccation × 3 levels of invasions × 4 replicates of each treatment combination =48)) that were assigned randomly to different treatment combinations. Before the treatment combinations were applied, we put an equal amount of soil substrate, which filled the bottom 1.5 cm of each aquarium. Treatment A was a degree of invasion and it had three levels: no invasion, partial invasion, and

An ecosystem consists of both all the populations of organisms and all of the non-living factors in that given area. Ecosystems are affected by both abiotic and biotic factors. These factors include pH, temperature, nitrate, phosphate, gas exchange, and light intensity (Wischusen). The ecosystem studied in this experiment was the LSU Lake System, in particular, the LSU University Lake. Two experiments were conducted involving the population ecology and community ecology of the LSU University Lake. Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment (Campbell and Reece 2011). Specifically, growth of the organism Chlamydomonas was studied and observed. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is the scientific name for a type of unicellular

The effects of Ocean Acidification on the physiology of marine organisms has long been observed, as the subsequently depletion of calcium carbonate impedes the proper development of marine calcifiers. One such calcifiers, however, has exhibited considerable tolerance to alterations in seawater acidity. Indeed, through the plastic response of gene expression and modulation, the larvae of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, or Purple Sea Urchin, have inherited a tolerance to low pH and high temperature conditions; an adaptation which will, undeniably, prove essential for survival in this newly acidic aquatic world. This review presents the Purple Sea Urchin as a case study, to demonstrate the potential of genomic analysis to greatly augment

also change the genetic variation of individuals and populations. Recently, tools to scan genetic variation with adaptive potential due to climate change haven’t been broadly available. Here, the researchers demonstrate that ocean acidification causes compelling patterns of genome-wide selection of purple sea urchins that are cultured under different CO2 levels. Although larval development and morphology showed little response to elevated

There must be an inseparable relationship between acidification and ecosystem health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of various acidification levels on ciliate population sizes and diversity.In the experiment, four Ciliophora species: Blepharisma americana, Paramecium caudatum, Euplotes and Vorticella were cultivated in acidified environment with different pH values of 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 and 7.0 (the control), and the number of individuals of each species in each culture was collected and analyzed.Shannon diversity index was calculated based on the data in order to find out the change in diversity of the community while varying pH levels. All ciliate population showed a remarkable decline or retardation of growth in

Many aquatic animals' life depend on the acidity of the ocean. Changes in the pH level of the ocean could cause problems with: growth, reproduction, and chemical communication. Mussels in particular are targeted as shellfish in danger of dying because of high acidity levels in the ocean. Mussels have trouble building their shells in

In contrast to the paradigm of thought, Hendriks et al. (2010b) contend that, while ocean acidification is occurring at an increasing global rate, there is not enough evidence to show significance of OA to marine biodiversity. He agrees with the position of Rockström et al. (2009), Turley & Gattuso (2012), Keller et al. (2009) and Veron (2008), which is that calcification is the most sensitive process responding directly to ocean acidification. However, he asserts that the warnings in the scientific community claiming that ocean acidification is a major threat to marine biodiversity has little experimental support (Hendriks & Duarte, 2010a). To arrive to this conclusion, he applied a meta-analysis of the literature regarding the effect of OA on marine organisms. This included an analysis of 42 articles, with 372 experimentally evaluated responses of 44 species. They noted that calcification rates will decline by, on average, 25% at elevated pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide) values of 731-759 ppmv (Hendriks & Duarte, 2010b). These pCO2 values are estimated by the IPCC to be reached within the 21st century (IPCC, 2007). Yet Hendriks and colleague (2010b) argue that these high levels of calcification rates are unlikely to occur, as this is the upper limit projection held by the IPCC and a worst-case scenario. Additionally, the time it would take to reach this greater elevation of pCO2 and consequent increased acidification will likely allow

“Threatening Ocean Life from The Inside Out” by M. Hardt & C. Safina is about the impacts of ocean acidification on marine life as subsequently human life as well. Ocean acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The water is becoming more acidic and negatively effecting marine life. The acidity affects coral and animals like clams and muscles having trouble building their skeletons and shells. It is also impacting the sperm count and the reproductive ability of male animals in the ocean. The oceans’ pH today is 8.1, which is mildly basic, but the conditions we are in right now shows a declining trend. The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is almost 390 parts per million (ppm), but it would be even higher if the oceans didn’t soak up 30 million tons of the gas every day (Hardt and Safina, 68). It

Ocean acidification is the process of the ocean becoming more acidic, or dropping on the pH scale. Another name for this process is ocean de-basification because seawater is actually a basic substance, so the “acidification” is seawater dropping to a more neutral pH. Despite what you call it, it is agreed that this activity results in negative consequences for both our environment as well as the creatures in it. This paper will be looking at the causes of ocean acidification, the effects of it, and what society can do in an attempt to stop it.