Objectives
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Students test water samples to determine the effects of fertilizer runoff on a naturally occurring body of water
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Standards Addressed
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MN Graduation standards - Middle level - Living Systems
MN Graduation standards - High Level - Environmental Systems or Natural
and Managed Systems |
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For each group: 5 clean jars with lids, masking tape, permanent marker, 100 mL distilled H2O, 100 mL tap H2O, 100 mL of H2O containing plant food, one of each of the following test
kits - phosphate, pH, nitrite/nitrate, ammonia, and dissolved O2 |
Time Requirement
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3 - :45 class periods |
Procedure/ Outline
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1. Students are given a scenario about the possibility of frogs disappearing due to either changing weather patterns or fertilizer runoff on a golf course. The golf course denies any over-fertilization and the city asks the students to see if the frogs are dying or migrating south during colder weather.
2. Students make a hypothesis about the scenario based on the following question: Does water runoff on the golf course's well manicured lawn contain fertilizer?
3. Students do the 5-minute water tests listed above on distilled H2O, tap H2O and H2O containing plant food. Students record their results in a data table.
4. Students test water from two collection sites: where the stream enters the golf course and where it exits the golf course. (The teacher prepares these samples ahead of time.) Students add these 2 H2O testing sites to their data table.
5. Students analyze the results and draw conclusions by answering the question in "Assessment".
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Modifications /Adaptions/ Extensions
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With the appropriate permission, students can actually collect water from a nearby golf course, public park, or recreation area to test for the presence of lawn fertilizers. Students can present their findings to city officials and make conclusions about the levels of lawn fertilizers used and their effect on animal populations in the area |
Assessment
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Students answer the following questions based on their data:
1. Were the nutrient levels of the water entering the golf course the same as those of the water leaving it?
2. Were there traces of nutrients in the water entering the golf course? Explain your answer.
3. Were any of the test results different from what you expected? If yes, which were different, and how might you explain the differences?
4. Which explanation of the frogs' disappearance is supported by your tests? Explain you answer.
5. How might a country club maintain a green turf while decreasing the amount of polluted material or runoff?
6. Frogs are just one organism affected by the runoff. What other organisms could be affected?
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Other Comments
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None |
