Water Quality | Wild Iris | Bird Populations
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Summer Prep for the LTRP: Water Quality | Wild Iris | Bird Populations |
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Researchers Brenda Rubio, Elisa Alatorre, Erin Palmer, Jenny Wood, Rubisela Sanchez, and Sarah Troutman Question How does oil affect the growth of wild iris? Hypothesis We predicted that the plants in oily water would die and not grow. Methods 1. We collected 10 Iris plants from Foster Island. 2. We collected 10 Iris plants from Green Lake. 3. We measured the height of each plant; roots were not included in the measurement. 4. We measured the weight of each plant. 5. Two Iris from Foster Island were placed in one gallon plastic containers with: a. distilled water. 6. Two Iris from Green Lake were placed in one gallon plastic containers with: a. distilled water. 7. Two Iris from Green Lake were placed in a container with Green Lake water and in a different container with Foster Island water. 8. Two Iris from Foster Island were placed in a container with Foster Island water and in a different container with Green Lake water. 9. Plants were placed outside and remeasured after 7 days. Vegetation Green LakeWillow, Reed, Green Grass Foster Island Common Rush, Rye Grass, Silverweed, Willow Herb, Reed Canary Grass, Willow Conclusions Yes, there was some effect of oil on the Wild Iris plants. They were not in the water/oil mixtures long enough for a drastic effect. After the 7 days, however, there were changes and differences. The roots were softer and mushier and had a lot of mucus on them. The only plants that this did not happen to were the Green Lake plants that were in only distilled water. We hypothesize that if the plants would have been in the mixtures longer their health would have kept on decreasing and they most likely would have died. |
