A little late posting my observation notes from October 26th but better late than never. Our hypothesis for this experiment was we would see less stratification as a result of increasing salt concentrations. That hypothesis still rings true with what I observed.
As pictured in Image A, the top couple centimeters of the top are strictly water, until of course you reach the sediment build up that characterizes the rest of the column. The amount of growth in these top water column areas is very telling. The color of the water in the 12% salinity column is lighter than the 8% and considerably clearer than the 4% which was brown. The control top water column was bright green indicating strong cyanobacteria growth. The clearer water in 12% and 8% indicate little to no growth in these sections despite proper light, water and nutrient exposure. Thus, supporting our hypothesis that we will see fewer organisms in higher salt concentration columns.
Additionally, I observed that the control column had the most stratification (based on color or obvious lines) with five distinct layers. On the other hand, 4% salinity had four stratification layers; 8% and 12% had three layers (Image B, C and D) . This also support the hypothesis that the higher the salt concentration the fewer the organisms capable of growing in that environment.
Other observations to note- In the control, the side facing the window had very bright green cyano growth through most of the column (Image E). The other three columns didn't show significant differences between the side of the column facing light and the one not facing the light. The first stratification layers (counting from top to bottom) for all four columns started at or above 9 cm from the bottom. More specifically, the first stratification layer for the control and 4% salinity were both right around 9 cm. The first stratification for 8% and 12% were both at 11.5 cm.
To conclude, our columns so far are supporting our hypothesis and showing small increased amounts of growth each week.
Maya
Image A. All four columns from left to right- control, 4%, 8%, and 12% salinity. Top stratification layer shows distinct differences in color with 12% showing the lightest water column. This indicates the smallest amount of growth.
Image B. 4% salinity column showing 4 stratification layers. The side pictured faces away from the window/light.
Image C. 8% salinity column showing 3 layers of stratification. The side pictured faces away from the window/light.
Image D. 12% salinity column showing three layers of stratification and a light top layer of water. The side pictured faces away from the window/light.
Image E. Picture of the light facing half of the control column showing strong cyanobacteria growth.
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