Download 470L

ZOOLOGY 470L
LABORATORY
Enrollment in the lab (Zool 470L) is required for enrollment in the course (Zool
470). Labs will meet either on Tuesday (13:30 – 16:30 [or longer sometimes]) afternoons
or on weekends - usually Saturday. This is necessary because some labs will take more
time than is available in the short afternoon period. The dates and timing of some of the
labs will also depend on tides, and all outdoor labs will be subject to the weather.
You will be graded on your laboratory work according to the information below.
While some lab exercises will be carried out by groups, students are responsible,
individually, for writing up lab reports. Some labs are more or less “cook book” while
others simply give you general guidelines and you must design your own experiments.
For grading more weight will be given to these labs. One Lab (#1) will require the entire
semester to get the necessary data. You must attend all labs. There isn’t anyway to make
up a field lab so you have to be there.
There are two field trips, one to Kahana estuary and one to a stream (TBA). There
will be no written lab report for these field trips, but attendance is required.
In addition to the scheduled labs each student will design and carry out a small
research project. The topic and methods will be decided through consultation with the
teacher and the TA. Reports on these projects will be presented on April 30 and May 7
during the Tuesday afternoon lab period.
We may have an opportunity to carry out a field study at Kalaupapa on Moloka’i,
probably over Spring Break (March 23 – 27). If this works out, it would take about 4 days
including travel. Because each student will have to pay for his/her own airfare and food
etc. on this field trip, it is optional and missing this exercise will not affect your final
grade.
LIMNOLOGY LABS 2009
Tentative schedule
Lab #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Jan. 13
Jan. 20
Jan 24 (Sat)
Jan. 27
Feb. 7 (Sat)
Feb. 10
Feb. 14 & 15 (Sat & Sun)
Feb 17.
Feb 24
Mar. 3
Mar 23 - 27
Apr. 11 (Sat)
Apr. 25 (Sat)
Apr. 18-19 (Sat-Sun)
Apr. 21
Apr. 26 (Sat)
Apr. 28
May 5
We will meet for organizational matters.
Leaf pack degradation - Initiation
Set out leaf packs
Lake Morphology
Nu‘uanu Reservoir - structure
Predation/Herbivory - Initiation
Primary Productivity
Watershed Mapping I
Watershed Mapping II
Hydrology
Moloka’i field trip (tentative)
Salt wedge
Kahana Estuary
24 hour photosynthesis/respiration
Leaf pack degradation - finish
XXXX field trip
Project Reports
Project Reports
Laboratory #1 Leaf pack degradation
Jan 20 - Tuesday afternoon (and Saturday Morning Jan. 24) et seq.
DUE DATE April 28
Much of the input of organic matter at the base of food chains in streams is
allochthonous - i.e. it is not the product of instream primary production, but rather is
organic material produced outside of the stream - usually consisting of leaves and small
woody material that comes from the drainage basin. CPOM (Coarse particulate organic
material) usually must be processed before it becomes available to some components of
the stream ecosystem. This processing consists of two processes. First dead matter is
colonized by saprophages (usually fungi and bacteria) which weaken the physical
structure of the particles and can accumulate nutrients onto the surfaces. A later stage is
the physical break down of large particles CPOM into smaller particles SPOM and FPOM
which can then be used by certain organisms.
The rate of this process is determined by physical factors such as temperature and
water motion, the nature of the starting material (fresh or old) and species specific
differences, and biological factors - the composition of the shredder community i.e. those
animals that utilize the CPOM.
Hawai‘i lacks many of the insect groups that are the important shredders in
temperate mainland streams. We are trying to discover what controls the rate of
decomposition in Hawaiian streams.
We will prepare a series of artificially produced leaf packs of known weight on
Tuesday afternoon. These will be placed in Aihuilama Stream on Saturday morning.
Throughout the semester, class members will retrieve some of the bags and replace them
with new ones. Retrieved packs will be placed in plastic bags and returned to the lab
where colonizing organisms will be rinsed off and fixed for identification. The leaf
material will be dried and weighed. On April 21 the class will retrieve all of the bags in
the stream and washing and weighing will be carried out as a group.
Materials will consist of leaves, we may decide to use dried or fresh leaves of one
species or fresh leaves of two species. Leaves will be divided into experimental units and
weighed. Two different types of leaf packs will be compared. Leaf packs will be formed
by tying or else placed in mesh bags with an identifying number. Leaf packs will be set
out in a stream and tied down.
The class will set out a collection schedule for the semester and randomly selected
bags will be collected at approximately 2 week intervals.
The goals are:
1) to construct time-degradation curves for leaves from several species of plants.
2) to compare two types of leaf pack designs
2) to identify and quantify the animals that colonize leaf packs.
READING
Stewart & Davies 1989
Winterbourn 1978
Cummins et al. 1980
Hoevels 1993
Archer 1980
Laboratory #2 Lake morphology
January 27 Tuesday afternoon
DUE DATE Feb. 10
Because we have no access to “real” lakes this will be a lab exercise. We will use
data (bathymetry and contour maps) of several lakes. For these lakes you will determine
the basic lake morphological parameters: A, V, L, b, zm, z, zr, SL, DL and you will
develop hypsographic curves and depth volume curves for these lakes.
READING
Wetzel & Likens (1990) Exercise 1
Laboratory #3 Survey of Nu‘uanu Reservoir
Feb. 7
DUE DATE Feb. 24
There are few (about a half dozen) natural lakes in Hawai‘i. However there are
many man made reservoirs which have many of the characteristics of natural lakes.
Nu‘uanu reservoir was constructed to serve as a water source for replenishment of
O‘ahu’s ground water. This reservoir is protected on one side by a ridge and may be
stratified if the trades are not blowing too hard. We will make measurements on the
temperature and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) vs. depth.
The goal will be to determine the location of the thermocline (if the reservoir is
stratified) AND the extinction coefficient.
Goals:
a) to gain hands-on knowledge of some lake survey techniques
2) to determine the structure of this man-made body of water.
READING
Wetzel & Likens (1990) Exercise 2
Laboratory #4 - Predation/Herbivory
Feb. 10 Tuesday
DUE DATE April 28
Energy moves up food chains through consumption by animals. Herbivory
denoted consumption of plant material while carnivory refers to consumption of animal
material. Detritivory (or saprophagy) concerns consumption of non-living organic matter.
In this laboratory you may choose to study either predation or herbivory.
Predation
Hawai‘i today food chain structure in many ecosystems is being altered due to the
increasing number and density of introduced species. While there is much speculation as
to how these alien species might be affecting community structure in Hawaiian
ecosystems there is little hard data available on this topic.
In this lab, we will use the alien predatory snail Euglandina rosea as the predator
and several aquatic snails as prey. There is evidence that Euglandina can locate prey
using water born signals. You will form groups of 2-3 members and design one or more
experiments to refine our knowledge about prey seeking behavior of this alien predator in
aquatic systems.
Goals:
1) to investigate the predation behavior of Euglandina rosea
2) to design experiments that will provide information on trail
following behavior or searching behavior of this predator
in aquatic habitats
READING
Kinzie 1988
Herbivory.
Plants are often thought of as passive and vulnerable to herbivores, yet we know
of a range of plant defense mechanisms. One set of such mechanisms consists of noxious
chemicals that are made by the plant and which are stored and may deter removal of
living plant materiel by herbivores. Many compounds that make plant parts “hot” or
“spicy” serve to deter herbivory.
In this lab we will use watercress, a plant which can be mild to quite “hot”, and
grazing snails to test aspects of plant defenses. The defense system of watercress consists
of a glucosinolate-myrosinase system. the actual defensive agent 2-phenylethyl
isothiosynate is produces after enzymatic hydrolysis if 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate by the
enzyme myrosinase. The enzyme is held apart from the substrate in special cells which
are broken when plant tissue is disrupted by herbivores. The enzyme is de-activated by
heating. Also some Watercress plants apparently have higher levels of these compounds
than others.
You will form groups of 2-3 members and design one or more experiments to
refine our knowledge about plant defense mechanisms and herbivory. Your group can
choose to work with carnivores, herbivores or sapropvores.
Goals
1) to observe the effects of plant defense compounds on herbivores
2) to design experiments that will provide information on what factors influence
the effectiveness of the plant’s defenses.
READING: Newman et al. 1996
Laboratory #5 Primary productivity of phytoplankton
Feb. 14 & 15(Saturday & Sunday)
DUE DATE March 3
Primary production is ultimately at the basis of almost all food chains.
Measurement of primary production is, therefore, a basic tool in determining community
dynamics. There are two commonly used methods to determine primary production of
phytoplankton; 14C uptake which is a measure of carbon fixed and oxygen production
which is more less stoichiometrically related to carbon fixation. We will measure oxygen
production using Winkler Method which analyzes the amount of dissolved oxygen. By
using light and dark bottles, net photosynthesis and respiration can be determined. With
these two values, gross photosynthesis can be calculated.
We will carry out this exercise at Nu‘uanu Reservoir. Water samples will be
collected, the larger zooplankton will be filtered out and paired light and dark bottles will
be incubated at various depths in the water column.
Oxygen production must be normalized to some factor. Typically Chlorophyll is
used. We will measure Chlorophyll in the water samples using either spectrophotometric
or fluorometric methods. Both are frequently used in limnological and oceanographic
studies.
Goals:
1) to learn common methods of photosynthesis determinations
2) to measure photosynthesis across a range of depths
3) to explore the relationship between photosynthesis and PAR
READING
Wetzel and Likens (1990) Exercise 6
Laboratory #6 - Watershed mapping
Feb 17 Tuesday and Feb 24 Tuesday
DUE DATE March 31
This will be the second of our hydrology labs. This exercise will use maps (USGS
topographic maps and others) to give you an opportunity to explore the kinds of
information required for description of a stream.
Because of the importance of geographic information systems (GIS) in areal
studies we will also have a demonstration of these technologies at a GIS facility.
Goals:
1) to determine the boundaries and area of the drainage basins for several streams
2) to explore channel length vs. order relationships for these streams
3) to learn how to find and use available data on streams.
READING
Wetzel and Likens Exercise #5
Laboratory #7 – Hydrology
March 3 Tuesday
DUE DATE March 31
Hydrology is the study of flowing water. With reference to streams Hydrology
investigates the parameters of flow in these open channels. Unlike ditches, flumes and
pipes the bed of the stream channel is constantly modified by the flow of water. This in
turn alters the flow regime of the stream. This constant interplay of mutual feedback is of
central importance in the study of stream ecology. Because of its importance, we will
have two labs dealing with this topic. Today’s lab will be a field exercise.
The goals are:
1) to construct channel cross sections
2) to measure discharge
3) to construct a stage/gage relationship for the stream
READING
Wetzel and Likens Exercise #5
Laboratory #8 Lake Kauhako
During Spring Break
NO LAB DUE OPTIONAL
I am currently exploring the possibility of carrying out a survey of Lake Kauhako
on Kalaupapa peninsula. What this exercise will be like will depend on how many people
can go, what equipment we can borrow and how long we can stay - more later
Laboratory #9 - salt wedge
April 11(Sat)
DUE DATE May 28
Estuaries are characterized by a dynamic interaction between the outflow of
freshwater, which is unidirectional and fairly slow to change under normal conditions,
and sea water which shows in Hawai’i a twice daily ebb and flow. Ass the tide rises a
layer of denser salt water intrudes beneath the less dense freshwater which continues to
flow to the sea. This intrusion is called the salt wedge.
This exercise will document and quantify the intrusion of the salt wedge into the
Ala Wai canal. In this channelized estuary the salt wedge is particularly clearly seen. On
April 11 there is a very large tidal excursion (-0.2’ at 10:22 to 2.0’ at 17:38).
We will take salinity vs. depth readings from each of the bridges that crosses the
Ala Wai during this period.
Goals:
1) to document the Ala Wai salt wedge
2) to construct a graphical representation of this phenomenon
Laboratory #10 Field Trip to Kahana estuary
April 25or 26 (Sat-Sun)
NO LAB REPORT
This will be a field trip, taking advantage of an early morning low tide to study the
fauna (fish and invertebrates) of Kahana estuary.
READING
Maciolek 1981
Maciolek & Timbol 1981
Laboratory #11 -- 24 hour productivity study
April 18 - 18 (Sat-Sun)
DUE DATE April 28
There are two general conditions that must be taken into account in studies of
community metabolism. In the daytime plants photosynthesize (and respire) and nonphotosynthetic organisms respire. At night only respiration occurs. In making a budget for
a community the net balance of these two processes must be taken into account. To this
we need data that span a 24 hour period. If the total photosynthesis over the 24 hours
(actually it only occurs when the sun is up) produces more than is burned by the total
respiration over the same 24 hour period, we say the community is autotrophic. The P/R
ratio is >1 and there is a net accumulation (or export) of organic material. If P/R <1 then
the community is heterotrophic and energy must be imported from outside the community
for it to persist.
In this exercise we will measure oxygen production (consumption) in a section of
stream over a 24 hour period and construct a budget for the community. To do this we
will take water samples every 3 hours over at least 24 hours. For safety at least 2 people
will be needed for the night samples.
Goals
1) to use our new abilities to measure primary productivity to
construct a budget for a stream community.
READING
Wetzel and Likens Exercise 24
La Perrier MS
Laboratory #1 - end of the leaf pack study
April 21 Tuesday
We will all meet together to
1) collect, wash, sort dry and weigh the leaf packs remaining in the stream
2) copy, collage, organize and distribute all the leaf pack data.
Laboratory #12 Field trip to XXXXX
April 26 (Sat)
NO LAB REPORT
READING
Kinzie 1988