Mirielsa Palor

Pd. 7
th
and 8
th

11/5/13


Dissolved Oxygen Lab Write Up

Measuring the primary productivity of an ecosystem reveals a great deal about what is
occurring and what will occur in the an ecosystem. In most ecosystems primary productivity is
impelled by the rate of photosynthesis in green plants and photosynthetic protists. Through the
photosynthetic equation 6CO2+6H2O---->C6H12O6+6O2 we can determine that primary productivity
can be discovered by measuring the rate of carbon dioxide consumption since phototrophs do need
carbon dioxide to carry on the process of photosynthesizing. We can also measure the rate of formation
of organic compounds and rate of oxygen production which phototrophs produce as waste product in
the photosynthesis process to help us determine the primary productivity in an ecosystem. Aquatic
ecosystems that contain many photosynthetic organisms increase the DO (dissolved oxygen) when they
produce oxygen as a waste product during photosynthesis. DO levels can be used as a measure to
determine the primary productivity in an ecosystem. However since photoautotrophs use oxygen as
well as carbon dioxide determining productivity becomes very challenging. So distinguishing net and
gross primary productivity from each other is necessary. Since phototrophs produce glucose and
oxygen using carbon dioxide and solar energy through the process called photosynthesis. They also use
glucose and use oxygen through respiration to manufacture as an energy source. Phototrophs respire
constantly and can only photosynthesize when solar energy (light) is present.

Introduction
In this experiment we used light and dark bottle method to determine the primary productivity
of our pond water ecosystem. We placed the bottles after wrapping them with screens to simulate the
samples for the the different depths of the model pond and foil to simulate respiration under plant lights
and incubated them for 24 hours. Assuming the rate of respiration was the same with every bottle
during the incubation period, we measured the DO in each sample after 24 hours. The sample in the
light bottle measured for net primary productivity while the dark bottle measured for loss of DO due to
respiration. Adding these two we determined the gross primary productivity. Our hypothesis was If
there's greater light intensity, then there is greater oxygen production in the photosynthetic
organisms because the oxygen production is based on photosynthesis which is dependent on light
intensity. Our testable research question was how does light intensity affect oxygen production by the
photosynthetic organisms present in the pond water?. Our Independent variable was light intensity,
defendant variable was the amount of DO, and our confounding variable was the temperature of our
setup. The variables that remained constant were time, source of water, type of light.
Methods and Materials
To begin the procedure we put on gloves goggles and aprons then we gathered up 7 BOD
bottles and submerged them in our pond water and capped them under the water to insure that no air
bubble gets in which will deter the data. Then we placed screens around 4 bottles using a rubber band
to hold them in place as well as labeling them 1 screen 3 screen 5 screen and 8 screen to simulate the
different depths of the pond to sample. As for the rest of the bottles we labeled one Baseline which is
our initial, dark which we wrapped in foil to measure respiration, and light to allow 100% of light
intensity. We then placed all the BOD bottles except for the one labeled baseline under a plant light to
incubate for 24 hours. Then we took our baseline BOD bottle and performed the winkler method which
is known to measure the amount of DO in each sample of water. To do this procedure we took our BOD
bottle with pond water in it uncapped it carefully and added 8 drops of manganous sulfate solution and
8 drops of alkaline potassium. We then replaced the cap and mixed the two by inverting the bottle
which formed a precipitate called manganous hydroxide. We then set the bottles aside and wait to let
the precipitate settle to the bottom of the bottle before continuing the procedure. After all the
manganous hydroxide precipitate has settled to the bottom we then uncapped the bottles and added 1g
of sulfamic acid powder to each bottle and inverted the bottles to mix , the sulfuric acid reacted with
the manganous hydroxide forming manganic sulfamate. The manganic sulfamate product oxidized the
iodide from the alkaline potassium iodide azide solution to free iodide turning the water sample a
yellow gold color. After fixing the oxygen in our baseline water sample with the first step we then did
the second step which is the titration. To do this procedure we uncapped our baseline BOD bottle and
filled a titration sample vial to the 20 mL line. Then we used a titration syringe which we filled with
1.0mL of sodium thiosulfate and stuck it in the hole of the titration vessel cap. We added one drop of
thiosulfate in intervals swirling it after each drop until our solution turned a pale yellow color almost
like the color of a post-it note, then we stopped and read the amount of sodium thiosulfate we used in
mL and recorded. We then uncapped the titration vessel and added 8 drops of starch indicator solution.
We replaced the cap and swirled the solution to mix it the presence of the starch indicator solution free
iodine turned the solution blue. We then replaced the cap of the titration vessel and continue titrating
the solution until it turned white. Sodium thiosulfate in the titration syringe reacted with the free iodine
to convert it to sodium iodide, the starch solution doesn't react to sodium iodide which turned the blue
solution clear once all the free iodine is converted. Keeping track of the amount of thiosulfate added to
the water sample revealed the amount of DO in the pond water.
Data

Group Productivity Data R = 2.1 mg/L

Bottle Dissolved Oxygen Net Productivity Gross Productivity
Baseline (Initial) 9.1 mg/L
Dark 7.0 mg/L
Light (0 screens) 7.0 mg/L -2.1 0
1 Screen 7.2 mg/L -1.9 0.2
3 Screens 9.1 mg/L 0 2.1
5 Screens 3.7 mg/L -5.4 -3.3
8 Screens 3.0 mg/L -6.1 -4

Simulation Productivity Data R = .2 mg/L

Bottle Dissolved Oxygen Net Productivity Gross Productivity
Baseline (Initial) 7.7 mg/L
Dark 7.5 mg/L
Light (0 Screens) 8.0 mg/L 0.3 0.5
1 Screen 7.8 mg/L 0.1 0.3
3 Screens 7.3 mg/L -0.4 -0.2
5 Screens 7.0 mg/L -0.7 -0.5
Bottle Dissolved Oxygen Net Productivity Gross Productivity
8 Screens 6.7 mg/L -1 -0.8














Average Productivity Data R = 1.15 mg/L

Bottle Dissolved Oxygen Net Productivity Gross Productivity
Baseline (Initial) 8.4 mg/L
Dark 7.25 mg/L
Light (0 Screens) 7.5 mg/L -0.9 0.25
1 Screen 7.5 mg/L -0.9 0.25
3 Screens 8.2 mg/L -0.2 0.95
Bottle Dissolved Oxygen Net Productivity Gross Productivity
5 Screens 5.35 mg/L -3.05 -1.9
8 Screens 4.85 mg/L -3.55 -2.4


Result and Discussion
Our Hypothesis If there's greater light intensity, then there is greater oxygen production
in the photosynthetic organisms because the oxygen production is based on photosynthesis which is
dependent on light intensity was not entirely supported by this experiment. Our data seems inclined
which may be due to the air bubble that got in the bottle during the winkler method protocol. Looking
over the simulation data given and the average of the simulation data and our group data, it sows we
did not conduct the experiment entirely correct. Which is shown in our graph when there is no
appearance of related correlation between light intensity and productivity. The graph should be
decreasing but on the section with 3 screens the data jumped from -1.9 to 0 on net productivity and .2
to 2.1 for gross productivity. Compared to the simulation graph that showed relationship between the
amount of screen and productivity. The graph seems uniform as it decreases from .5,.3,-.2,-.5,-.8 for
average gross productivity and .3,.1,-.4,-.7,-1 for net productivity. Our hypothesis was exactly that as
the light intensity increases the productivity would increase as well, which is supported by the
simulation data, but not by our own groups data. Some sources of error we had in this lab were
conducting the winkler method inefficiently. A bubble might have gotten in one of the bottles mixing in
oxygen and changing the DO percentage. Another source of error was that we did the calculations
wrong resulting in putting in the wrong data. A few confounding variables that may have affected our
experiments were heterotrophs present in the pond water decreasing the DO level due to respiration
occuring. If I was able to conduct this experiment again is to do several trials for a much more reliable
data. I would also make sure that there's enough titration vessels to titrate, since the lack of titrating
vials limited us from working efficiently. Also the time limit we were rushed to do the lab with only 1
titration vial we had to do 6 BOD bottles.

Reference: Carolina Study Guide: AP Biology Laboratory 12 Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary
Productivity