BSC2011L
Aquatic Ecology Lab
Section 1:
Aquatic ecology is a branch of the science of
ecology, which is concerned, with the study of aquatic
ecosystems. Ecology is the branch of biology dealing
with the relations and interactions between organisms
and their environment, including other organisms. As
we study the aquatic ecology, we are able to determine if
it is healthy enough to maintain a stable environment
for aquatic populations. In order to determine how
healthy the aquatic ecosystem is we observed and
collected the abiotic factors that maintain the
ecosystem. These factors include turbidity, pH levels,
nitrate concentrations, dissolved oxygen levels, location,
weather conditions, the amount of sunlight, and the
populations of different organisms that created a
habitat in this ecosystem. An ecosystem is a system that
includes all living organisms and biotic factors in an
area as well as the physical environment and abiotic
factors, functioning together as a unit. For this lab, we
investigated the aquatic ecosystem of a retention pond,
which was located on the northwest side of the
Tallahassee Community College campus. The guiding
question was “ Is TCC retention pond a healthy
environment and suitable for organisms?” We were able
to determine this by recording the collection of
environmental factors and even species that we were