Transcript Slide 1

Ways We Harm (from J. Bitnoff Cal High)
▪Oil & gasoline spillage
▪Automobile exhaust
▪Antifreeze spillage
▪Coal fly ash (fossil fuel burning)
▪Detergent (adds excess phosphate)
▪Excess CO2 (from f.f. burning &
deforestation)
▪ Increased atmosphere temperature
(global warming)
▪Acid rain
▪Increased UV radiation (due to
destruction of ozone layer)
▪Salt (used to de-ice roads)
▪Fertilizer (adds excess phosphate &
nitrate)
▪Pesticides
▪Herbicides
▪Heavy metals:
Lead (car batteries, paint)
Cadmium (rechargeable batteries)
Copper (paint, pipes, algicide)
Organisms to Test
•Seeds
•Terrestrial Plants
•Aquatic Plants (Elodea, duckweed,
Myriophyllum)
•Algae (Spirogyra, Chlorella)
•Fungi (mold, mushrooms)
•Bacteria (BioLevel 1 only)
•Protozoa
•Planaria flatworms
•Blackworms
•Brine shrimp
•Triops (tadpole shrimp)
•Daphnia (water flea)
•Crickets, isopods, insects,
crustaceans (depending on availability)
•Snails, slugs
•Tubifex worms
•Mealworms
•Earthworms
Responses to Measure
•Growth rate
•Root growth rate
•Stem diameter
•O2 production rate
•O2 uptake rate
•CO2 production rate
•CO2 uptake rate
•Germination rate (or radicle length)
•Flowering rate (in Fast Plants™)
•Cell membrane or wall structure
•Regeneration rate
•Hatching rate of eggs
•Survival rate
•Chlorophyll production or loss
•General health or activity level (scale
of 1 to 10)
•Direction or orientation
Ways We Help
•Do natural pesticides (such as plant extracts) work?
•Do natural microbicides work?
•Do natural fertilizers work?
•Is organic phosphate (from bone meal) superior to non-organic
phosphate as a fertilizer?
•Are phosphate-free detergents safer on organisms?
•Are natural barriers more effective at keeping slugs away from plants?
•Which materials best absorb & store heat from solar energy?
•Which plants are the best CO2 sinks (removing CO2)?
•What is the effect of variables such as temperature, light, or moisture on
composting rate?
•What is the effect of variables such as temperature, light, or moisture on
biodegradation rate in a landfill?
•Do biodegradable/compostable food packages degrade faster?
•Is environmentally safe antifreeze really safer for organisms?
•Which plants remove excess phosphates or nitrates from the soil or
water best?
•Are road salting alternatives (MgCl2, CaCl2, KCl) really safer on wildlife
than regular salt, NaCl?