Plankton... November 25, 2013

Plankton is important to the marine food web because is it a major food source for all organisms. The two main types of phytoplankton are diatoms and dinoflagellates. The two main types of zooplankton are holoplankton and meroplankton. Plankton is beneficial because phytoplankton can produce it's own food, both are a major food source for marine life, and they are a large portion of the food web. This effects daily life because we eat the animals that eat plankton. 

Red tide... November 25, 2013

 Some symptoms of the red tide, caused by dinoflagellate, include diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, and many others. It can be prevented my staying away from water with red tide and researches may have found a cystic fibrosis treatment for it. 

The Vampire Squid... November 25, 2013

The vampire squid's scientific name is Vampyroteuthis infernalis. They reproduce by the male impregnating the female. The female then does shortly after the birth. This squid lives 3,000 feet below the surface. They eat small invertabrates and not much is known about what eats them. They are special because they have spikes on their tentacles that they use to catch their prey. Interestingly, despite what most people think, these squids and their spike are harmless to humans. 

Plankton... November 17, 2013

Plankton are important to the food web because phytoplankton can produce it's own food and many organisms fee off of them. Some of their adaptions include spikes and projections, the release of oil, and air-filled floats. An example of phytoplankton is a protist and an example of zooplankton is picoplankton. Phytoplankton can photosynthesize and zooplankton have flagella that move them around like animals. 

Jellyfish... November 17, 2013

The scientific name of the jellyfish is Medusozoa. They inhabit all the different oceans of the world. Jellyfish reproduce both sexually and asexually. They are eaten by tuna's, sharks, and swordfish. They eat meat because they are carnivorous animals. Interestingly, there are 200 different species of jellyfish, it uses the same hole to eat and release excreta, and they catch their prey with their tentacles. 

Anchor November17, 2013

Anchors are used by all boaters and any oceanographers who need to use boats to collect data. Anchors are dropped from boats and stuck in the ground under the water. With the anchor in the ground, the boat stays in place above the surface and allows divers to go under water to collect the required data without worrying about their boat moving above them.

The Goblin Shark November 11, 2013

The goblin shark's scientific name is Mitsukurina owstoni. It is found in scattered areas and the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans at depths of about 1200 feet. No pregnant specimen has ever been found so it's reproduction is unknown. The goblin shark feeds on organisms at the ocean floor such as squids, crustaceans, and other bottom dwelling fish. One way this fish has adapted is by its teeth; it has long sharp teeth of the Fryant to catch prey and's small taken the back to eat them. Another way is it long and picturing snout that it uses to detect fish's electricity. And another adaptation is it slender body used to  maneuver through things. It is not believed to be at risk. The sharks can be up to 3.8 meters long, it lives at the bottom of the ocean, and has rarely been seen. 

Ferdinand Magellan November 11, 2013

Ford inane Magellan was a Portuguese explorer that led the first expedition that sailed around the earth. He was also the one that named the Pacific ocean. Interestingly his crew consisted of a variety of cultures, he was considered a traitor to his home country Portugal, many members of his crew deserted the expedition, he was a Christian evangelical which may have cost him his life, and Magellan only deserves partial credit for circumnavigating the globe because he died before it was over.

My piece of trash boat November 11, 2013

We chose to use foil, stirafoam, a note card, and a few other floatable objects for our boat. We used the stirafoam as the base, and foil for the edges to keep the main part of the boat light so it would go fast. We used a stiff notecard for the sail so the wind could easily catch it. One way we could have made it go fast or smoother is if we added a motor. ;)

Spotted Seal November 3, 2013

This I the spotted seal, it's scientific name is Phoca largha. It inhabits arctic and sub arctic waters, and it tends not to love within dense drift ice. It's sexual maturity is attained around the age of four. Breeding season is from January to mid- April an the pups are birthed during March. The spotted seal's prey includes arctic cod, sand lance, sculpins, flatfishes, and shrimp. It's predators include polar bears, sharks, sea lions, brown bears, humans, and walruses. The spotted deal is not in danger of becoming extinct. An ocean issue that is affectin te spotted seal is melting ice, resulting in reduced coverage for the seals. Interestingly, spotted seals are being sold on the black market as Chinese medicine, they are relatively shy and are difficult for humans to approach, and the can dive up to 100 feet. 

Animal trainer November 1, 2013

If I were going to be an oceanographer, I would be an animal trainer. Ever since my family and I took a trip to Sea World I have had an interest in animal training. One reason I would like to be an animal trainer is to become more knowledgable about animal facts. I would also create a strong bond with animals and be able to perform with them. I love animals and I think they are so smart and I would want to be able to share that fact with the world. Not to mention, I would get a close up view of how adorable they are when they do their tricks.

Bob Ballard October 28, 2013

Five things I didn't know about the ocean:

1) most of the Southern hemisphere is unexplored

2) 50% of United States lies beneath the sea

3) The greatest mountain range on earth lies beneath the sea

4) The rift Valley is 9000 feet deep

5) there are more active volcanoes beneath the see than above

Bob thinks that it is important to explore the ocean because there is wildlife that people do not know about and giographic wonders that are unknown as well.

Bob's main message was that he wants people to be aware of the mysteries beneath the water that were previously unknown or are still yet to be discovered that can be known if we find underwater research.

Aquatic plant October 13, 2003

The alligatorweed had hallow stems, deep green weeds, and white paper-like, boat-shaped flowers. They restrict water flow in creeks, impede recreational water sport, create habitats for Mosquitos, and replace native wetland plants. This plant originally came from South America and can survive on land and in water. To spot Alligator weeds, look for unfamiliar plants in aquatic areas. We should not allow the plants to establish and always treat small infestations before they spread.

The Primary Amebic Meningeoncephalitis October 5, 2013

The Primary Amebic Meningeoncephalitis Is characterized as a single celled living organism. It is asexual and reproduces through binary fission. It is found in warm fresh water and soil. While it is rare, this causes a devastating infection of the brain. Some symptoms of this disease include a sudden headache, a fever, nausea, a stiff neck, and meningeal signs. This disease can be treated by a physician using drugs from a laboratory. This is a fatal disease but can be prevented by refraining from water related activities and by plugging your nose when you go underwater.

The mayfly October 5, 2013

One aquatic insect is the mayfly with a Scientific name of Ephemerptera. They mayfly lives in streams and ponds. It is fully an aquatic organism as a nymph but lives on land as an adult. The mayfly reproduces just a few hours after molting.  It is eaten by trout and it eats algae. They may fly has 2 to 3 tales, it is the only insect known to molt, and there are about 4000 species of the mayfly. 

Algae and Invertebrates September 28, 2013

Algae and invertebrates can be used to monitor an ecosystem. Certain algaes and invertabrates only live and thrive under certain conditions. For example, if you find Euglena in a body of water, you know that this particular body of water is most likely very polluted and needs to be adjusted. These microrganisms can determine what kind of water you have or how polluted it is. 

Dichotomous Key September 28, 2013

This is the Dichotomous Key that Sarah Dixon and I created using the fourteen different algaes in out picture book. It is very important to use one of these when assessing a water body so you can easily tell exactly which algae you are looking at. If you see algae in your water body, you can pick out certain characteristics of it and use a Dichotomous Key to narrow down different algaes until you find the exact algae you see in the water. This key easily speeds up the proses of determining what kind of algae in in a certain body of water. 

Dissolved Oxygen September 28, 2103

In class, we all took turns finding the dissolved oxygen level, the temperature, the conductivity, and the pH level of each of the four bottles (seen in the picture). The first bottle is the control and contains only gravel and tap water. The second bottle has gravel, tap water, and a plant. The third bottle has gravel, tap water, a plant, and salt water in it. Finally, the fourth bottle contains gravel, tap water, a plant, salt water, and a fish. We found that the dissolved oxygen level went down with each bottle, indicating that the more substances or organisms that are in the bottle, the less dissolved oxygen there is. The temperature and the pH level remained fairly consistent throughout each bottle. We also found that the conductivity rose with each bottle, showing that with every substance or organism put in the bottle, the conductivity rose. 

Fish are Friends not Food

I. Purpose: To monitor a freshwater ecosystem overtime and to collect and interperate data. 

II. Materials: 

-tank

-water

-bubbler

-rocks

-toys

-test tubes

-food

-bucket

-filter

-fish

-thermometer 

-dropper

-dechlorinater 

-sieve

-net

-sponge

-paper towel

-fake plants

-real plants

-bacteria supplement 

-pitcher 

-sink

-clams

-scuds

III. Procedure:

1. Find an empty tank

2.clean out tank with just water (no soap)

3.get rocks and clean them with water and a sieve

4.put rocks in the tank (spread out on bottom)

5.put water in the tank up to the top of the tank using a pitcher and the water from the sink

6.put any decorations in the tank (rinse them off first)

7.add dechlorinater after asking how much to put in the tank (depends on the size if the tank)

8.test the water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate qualities

9. Test temperature (should be around 72 degrees ferinheit)

10.buy fish that are compatable with each other and that will for in the tank

11.depending on the fish, place the bag of fish and water floating on top of water in tank to even out the two different water temperatures 

12.whaen the temperatures are even, cut a slit in the bag and pour the fish into a net over the sink

13. Quickly stick the net with the fish I  the tank and release them

14.with the appropriate food, feed the fish a tiny pinch of food

15.add a bubbler to the tank 

16.add bacopia plants, with the roots still attached, to the tank

17.find, clean, and add water to  filter that fits the tank

18.place the filte over the edge of the tank

19.find aquatic organisms such as scuds, snails, and clams to put in the tank

20.add bacteria supplement to the tank every day

IV. Data:

A.Quantitative:

Date        Ammonia  nitrite/trate  temp.

                                              Degree:C/F

9/4/13     0               0                 22/73

9/9/13     0               0                 21/70

9/10/13   .25            0                 22/74

9/11/13   .25            0                 22/72

9/16/13   0               0                 23/72

9/19/13   0               0                 21/72

9/24/13   0               0                 22/71

9/25/13   0               0/20            22/71

9/30/13   0              .25/10          24/74

10/8/13   0              .25/10          19/68

10/9/13   0               0/10            23/72

10/10/13 0               0                 24/74

10/11/13 0               0                 22/71

10/14/13 0               0                 23/72

10/15/13 0               0                 22/71

10/16/13 0               0                 22/71

10/17/13 0               0                 23/72

10/18/13 0               0                 24/74

10/21/13 0               0                 25/76

10/22/13 0               0                 24/74

B.Qualitative:

9-18: added some mondo grass and two clams to the aquarium. All of our fish our dead and unsure of why. Because there are no fish, there was no reaction to the clams and grass put in the tank. The beta was found dead, lying on its side on top of the rock.

9-19: The water is a bit turbid, The clams have dug into the gravel, these nails are still alive, I do not see the other animals that we put in the aquarium previously- they were probably eaten

9-20: The water is clearer and there were dead fish found in the tank that were not ours.

9-24: we have a steady water quality that never seems to change. We have decided this is due to the fact that we have no fish to create ammonia. 

9-25: The claims are sotill buried and the water is perfect because we still do not have fish.

9-26: The water is perfect again but the clams are still buried in closed and I don't know why that is, We tested our nitrate for the first time today and it was at about 20, we plan to get fish either tomorrow or Tuesday.

9-27: there was no change in the water and the clams are still buried under the rocks, hopefully will be able to see the nitrogen cycle when we get our fish.

9-28: our clams are still buried in the gravel and remain closed. Our water quality seems to be doing fine do we do not understand why our clams do not seem to like the water in our aquarium. 

9-30: we added water to our tank because it was getting low, added dechlorinater, and then we changed out the filter. Our nitrite level went up to .25 and our nitrate level went down to 10.

10-4: Today we found two black fish swimming in our tank. No one in iur group put them in there nor did mrs. Wood. We are very curious as to how they got there and why they are there.

10-10: we have decided to of serve the aquaponics aquarium. In the first tank I observed 5 fish, snails, and clams that were unopened. In the second tank there were 2 shrimp 4 unopened clams. In the third tank I observed 2 baby fish, one adult fish and, one shrimp. Finally, in the fourth tank, I observed 2 baby fish. 

10-15: in the first tank I observed one fish and unopened clams. In the second tank I saw a crayfish four adult fish and unopened clams. In the third take there was a crayfish and an adult fish. And in the fourth tank there was an adult fish and a baby fish.

10-16: I am now back to observing our own tank. The snails are still there and the filter is still running. We have not observered any strange occurrences today.

10-17: our clams are still buried and closed. Our water levels are fine so we cannot tell what is wrong with the clams.

10-18: we have yet to find any of the tiny organisms we had put into the aquarium a while back. 

10-21: still no sign of the other organisms other than the snails. We suspect the fish either are them or they may have possibly gotten stuck in the filter.

10-22: clams still shut and buried. No drastic change in the water quality. 

10-23: water seems very clear today however the clams continue to stay shut.

10-24: snails still alive and clinging I to the walls 

10-25: we find it curious that the snails are thriving yet the clams continue to stay  buried and closed. Still hc not found the true cause for our fish's deaths and I guess we never will. 

1) Ammonia: this is very dangerous and can cause the death of fish when there are high levels of it. It is caused by fish waste and excess food.

Nitrite: second most toxic nitrogen compound in the aquarium.

Nitrate: least toxic of nitrogen compounds. However, high levels can cause stress in fish. 

Temperature: certain fish can only survive in certain water temperatures. The temperature also determined how much food to give the fish. 

pH: most freshwater fish are found I'm water with a pH between 6 and 8 and most salt water fish are found in water with a pH between 8 and 8.4.

Conductivity: the degree to which a specified material conducts electricity, calculated as the ratio of the current density in the material to the electric field that causes the flow of current. It is the reciprocal of the resistivity.

Dissolved oxygen: Oxygen saturation or dissolved oxygen (DO) is a relative measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium. 

Hardness: a measure of the quantity of certain metallic ions present in the water, mainly calcium and magnesium. Water hardness affects of fishes ability to maintain the balance between internal body fluids and the external environment.

Alkalinity: Indicates the total amount of buffers that are present in the water. Alkalinity protects the environment from setting changes in pH by absorbing excess acids or bases, which may be added to a solution. 

1. • Dissolved oxygen:Hardness: water hardness affects a fishes ability to maintain the balance between internal body fluids and the external environment.Alkalinity: affects the accuracy of a pH reading.

Chlorine: a chlorine treatment on water ways leave behind harmful chemicals that can negatively affect fish.

2) Nitrogen cycle: The nitrogen cycle has five steps total. The first step is when the fish makes waste which turns into ammonia. Next, the ammonia turns into nitrite through nitrosomus bacteria. Then, the plants absorb the nitrite. After that, the water is cleaned by the plants. Finally, the cycle continues forever. 

3) Overall, our water quality stayed fairly constant except for a few instances. Our ammonia levels were always zero except on August 10 and 11 when it went up to .25. After that it went back down to zero. Just like our ammonia levels, our nitrite levels were always at zero until it went up to .25 on August 30 and October 8. 

4) Oxygen and carbon dioxide cycle:

Without sun, photosynthesis stops at night, lowering the oxygen levels. However, animals still need oxygen at night  which causes the oxygen level to drop even further. At noon oxygen production is at its highest because there is the most sunlight at this hour. At night, and are exhaling carbon dioxide With cellular respiration while plants are resting and do not need carbon dioxide. Therefore, carbon dioxide levels go up at night.

5) we didn't have too many problems keeping our tank stable. We added multiple plant, animals, and clams which all kept the aquarium stable. 

6) -I learns that plants help keep nitrate levels down.

- clams keep their mouth shut when they do not like the water quality and leave their mouths open when they do.

-Beta fish should never be out with any other fish because they will terrorize them.

-Fish like to hide in and under things like our rock-cave.

-I learned that the nitrogen cycle is an important key in the aquarium because it keeps the water stable. 

7) The most interesting thing, the worst thing, and the weirdest thing that happened in my aquarium all occurred during the same instence: all 8 of our fish died. The day after we baught our fish, five of them died. Then, the next day, two more died. We suspected it was the beta that killed the other fish because he was the only fish left after the first two days but then he eventually died too. We still have not found the cause of all of our fish deaths.

8) Consicerdering all of our fish died within the first few weeks, my favorite part was observing the fish in my friends' tanks and seeing how they interacted with each other in the aquarium and where they liked to spend most of their time within the tank. 

9) I would advise other students not to but beta fish with other fish no matter was the guy at the pet store says and to continuously test their water quality to make sure it is always perfect or at least near perfect. I cannot think of any way to make the project better, I love it just the way it is. 

My watershed September 22, 2013

I live in the Elm Fork of the Trinity River watershed and my watershed address is 12030103. Some of the benefits of a watershed include the capturing, storing, and releasing of water, the filtration of sediment, pollutants, and other harmful materials, habitats provided for plants and animals, and sites provided for biogeochemical reactions. Some problems facing our local watershed are domestic and industrial use, swimming, over fishing, endangerment of aquatic organisms, agricultural use, commercial use, pollution, and urbanization. 

The White Croppie September 22, 2013

One freshwater fish that lives in Texas, is the white croppie. The scientific name for this fish is Pomoxis annularis. These fish have a high reproductive potential which often leads to overproduction in small lakes. They lay their eggs in small beds in shallow water during the spring time. White croppies can be found in large rivers, reservoirs, and lakes, and are tolerant of turbid waters where there is little rooted vegetation. Adult crappies feed on small fish and insects such as various species of minnows and young gizzard shads and are eaten by bass. White croppies are known for their delicious taste, they are easy to catch while fishing, and they are less votive during the day but come out during dawn and dusk.

Aquarium observations September 14, 2013

My aquarium group found three snails, two scuds, one daphnia, and a leach and put them all in our aquarium. When we first out everything, the snails stuck to the glass and the leach quickly hid under the rocks and the scuds and the daphnia swam too fast for me to tell where they went. The fish had no original reaction but I'm sure it ate then eventually because I did not see them the next day. 

Nitrogen Cycle September 14, 2013

The nitrogen cycle has five steps total. The first step is when the fish makes waste which turns into ammonia. Next, the ammonia turns into nitrite through nitrosomus bacteria. Then, the plants absorb the nitrite. After that, the water is cleaned by the plants. Finally, the cycle continues forever. 

River Model September 8, 2013

This river model is split up into four separate tanks: P1, P2, P3, and P4.

At the beginning of the day, P1 had water, six orange fish, and twenty brown fish. P2 had water, rocks, and two brown fish. P3 had water, rocks, sand, pea gravel, plants, and twenty ghost shrimp. P4 had water, sand, pea gravel, plants, one orange fish, one brown fish, and one blue crayfish. For the rest of the year we will be tracking what fish move where, if any die, or anything else that may occur in a log book. With this river model I hope to learn so much more about rivers. 

Density and Temperature Demonstration September 7, 2013

This demonstration was to show the difference in density between warm and cold water. There were four glasses; two with red water (warm) an two with blue water (cold). We placed one red water on a blue water and a deferent blue water on the other red water as you can see in the "before" picture on the left. The picture on the right shows what happened afterward: When the red was put onto the blue, the red stayed on top because warm water is less dense than cold water. For that same reason, when blue was placed on red the red tried to rise to the top as the blue attempted to sink to the bottom creating the purple you see. In connection with this demonstration, the lake is just like the red, warm water on top of the blue, cold water. The lake water is much warmer on top than toward the bottom. 

Zebra mussels August 31,2013

The topic of our next project is water issues. Sarah Dixon and I are working on this project together and our water issue is the zebra mussel. We were going to choose between the zebra mussel and ways to save water at home: When I got up to the sign up sheet, the water conservation topic was already taken so we chose zebra mussels. We also chose this topic because we thought it would be interesting to learn about something we don't know that much about. I can't wait to learn all about zebra mussels and why they are such a problem in the aquatic ecosystem! 

Water Properties Presentation August 30, 2013

Our water properties were adhesion and cohesion. Adhesion is when water sticks to something else and cohesion is when water sticks to water. Our demonstration involved a penny and eye droppers. We had the class squirt water onto the pennies: The droplets all stuck together showing cohesion and they also stuck to the penny showing adhesion. Adhesion and cohesion relate to the aquatic ecosystem because they both contribute to the transportation of water in a plant. Because of this project, I learned that the reason water comes together into one droplet is due to cohesion. 

My life... August 27, 2013

I am finally a senior this year! When I graduate I plan to go to a private, Baptist college. I want to major in some sort of visual art but I'm not exactly sure what specifically yet. I love to sing in the school choir and church choir. This summer I went on a mission trip to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. I can't wait to see what all is in store for me this year!