Bioassay of Acid Rain

BIOASSAY OF ACID RAIN

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of pH on two organisms by conducting a bioassay.

INTRODUCTION

M A T E R I A L S NE E D E D

Aquatic life is especially 1 mL of 0.1 M hydrochloric acid sensitive to pH. Their life 1 mL of 0.01 M sodium hydroxide activities are based on the distilled water aqueous solution in which culture of euglena culture of brine shrimp they live. Since they are 96 well microplate so sensitive, aquatic forms 3 pipets or eyedroppers have always been used as an microscope or hand lens indicator of the general health of an aquatic environment. Generally, the closer the pH of the solution is to 6 - 8 the better for aquatic forms. Acid rain, a dilute solution of nitric, nitrous, sulfuric and sulfurous acids, is formed when industrial, automobile or housing exhausts are dissolved in rainwater. The rainwater mixes with water in streams and lakes to give an acidic environment. In this experiment, you will test the tolerance of two different life forms to changes in the pH of their environment. This bioassay simulates the effect of acid rain on two organisms, brine shrimp - a multicellular organism and euglena - a unicellular organism. In reality acid rain would never cause a natural body of water to have a pH above 7 unless the pH was already basic; however, many industrial pollutants can greatly affect the pH of natural bodies of water (rivers, streams, lakes etc.) PROCEDURE A. Response of Euglena 1. Place a microplate on a smooth surface, numbered columns away from you and numbered rows to the left. Place 9 drops of distilled water in wells A2 - A11.

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Bioassay of Acid Rain

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Place 10 drops of O.1 M hydrochloric acid in well A1. Place 10 drops of 0.01 M sodium hydroxide in well A12. Place one drop of 0.1 M hydrochloric acid in well A2. Mix thoroughly. Transfer one drop of the mixture in A2 to well A3. Mix. Continue with this dilution up to and including well A6. Do not add anything to well A7. Place one drop of 0.01 M sodium hydroxide in well A11. Mix. Remove one drop from well A11 and mix it with the contents of well A10. Continue this series dilution up to and including well A8. You now have a set of microwells containing solutions with pHs 1-12.

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10. Add one drop of euglena culture to each well. Wait for 15 minutes. 11. Observe the euglena through a microscope set at low power. Record your results on the DATA SHEET. B. 1. Response of Brine Shrimp Add one drop of brine shrimp culture to each of the wells in row A. Wait for 15 minutes. Observe the brine shrimp through a hand lens or a microscope at low power. Record your results on the DATA SHEET.

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Bioassay of Acid Rain

DATA SHEET BIOASSAY OF ACID RAIN A. Response of Euglena We W el l # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 A. Response of Brine Shrimp Well # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Brine Shrimp Alive (Y/N) Comments Euglena Alive (Y/N) Comments

Bioassay of Acid Rain

QUESTIONS 1. Which pH seems to be the best for the brine shrimp and euglena?

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Do you think the fact that one organism is a unicellular and the other multicellular made a difference in the response?

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What else does acid rain affect besides aquatic life?

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How would you design an experiment to look at the effects of acid rain on plant life