PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #68: Ecological Education -- Research and Theory.
Presiding: L. Mueller
Wednesday, August 7. 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM. Grand Ballroom West, Radisson.

A protocol for an undergraduate ecology laboratory on water quality impacts utilizing sealed microcosms.

PETERS, ERIC^*,1, BELL, TIMOTHY¹, ¹ Chicago State University, Chicago, IL

ABSTRACT- We describe a protocol for the construction, manipulation, and analysis of sealed aquatic microcosms that has proven successful as a 10-12 week open-ended laboratory exercise suitable for an undergraduate ecology, environmental science, or aquatic ecology/limnology course. This protocol employs commonly-available, inexpensive and non-hazardous organisms, equipment, and chemical tests to simulate the environmental effects of common water pollutants (i.e., acid deposition, chlorination, or eutrophication resulting from inorganic fertilizer inputs). This manipulative experiment guides the students through the techniques of statistical analyses (ANOVA and other comparisons) and their interpretation in determining the effects of water pollutants on water quality and aquatic life. It can also be adapted to present the results graphically to lower grade levels. The microcosms have been successfully maintained for months between course offerings, and provide a vivid example to incoming students of the impacts of water pollutants. Evidence from student performance and comments has shown that this exercise has been successful as an inquiry-based method for demonstrating the effects of anthropogenic impacts on both water quality parameters and aquatic biodiversity.

KEY WORDS: teaching methods, microcosms, water quality, laboratory course