Nhi Quach

APES Period 3
October 12, 2013
Duckweed Lab
I.

OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESIS

To determine the effect of salinity as a limiting factor on the duckweed population

growth rate, biotic potential, and carrying capacity, thus also determining the ideal
conditions for which duckweed populations should grow in.
Hypothesis: If duckweed populations grow in conditions of varying salinity, then as
salinity increases, the growth rate and carrying capacity of the duckweed population
decreases.
II.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

50ml Centrifuge tubes (8)

Salt

100 ml beaker

Measuring Scale

Pond water

Spatula

Parafilm

Duckweed

Procedure:
2 control groups are set up by filling up two centrifuge tubes each with 50 ml
of pond water and placing in 5 to 6 duckweed fronds. Saline solutions of 1%, 2%,
and 3% will be prepared for the other tubes. 1 gram of salt is measured and placed
in the 100 ml beaker. The beaker is filled with pond water until it is 100 ml full. The
solution is stirred with a spatula and 50 ml of the solution is poured into an empty
centrifuge tube. The other 50 ml is poured into another centrifuge tube to make two
trials of the 1% salinity group. Five to six duckweed fronds are placed into the tubes.
The procedure to make a saline solution should be repeated for the 2% and 3%
solutions except that the 2% solution should require 2 grams of salt for 100 ml of
pond water and the 3% solution should require 3 grams of salt for 100 ml of pond
water. All tubes are covered with Parafilm to reduce evaporation and then placed
under a light source. Centrifuge tubes should be checked to make sure each always
contains 50 ml of solution so evaporation does not change salinity. If the solution is
below 50 ml, the centrifuge is filled with distilled water until 50 ml is reached. As
duckweed populations grow, the frond count is recorded each time the populations
are observed.

Discussion:
From my groups observations of duckweed populations in various
conditions of different salinity, weve concluded that duckweed ideally grows in a
zero salinity environment. My hypothesis that increasing salinity lessened the
carrying capacity and growth rate of duckweed has been proven true by the
significant difference in growth of the controlled population and the populations in
saline solutions. At its maxima, the biotic potential of the zero salinity population
was 0.8 (r = 18%) and of the saline populations, the maximum biotic potential was
0.17, which occurred on day 6 of the 3% salinity population (trial 1). It is an
important note that while the 1% and 2% salinity groups had virtually zero growth
the entire duration of the experiment, the 3% salinity group did display a small
amount of growth and later decrease in population. This behavior may be explained
by inaccurate counting of fronds or the solution not being mixed thoroughly so the
salt had been siting on the bottom of the solution. Through this lab, I again saw the
importance of maintaining a controlled, constant environment by making sure the
solutions were always 50 ml to prevent changing levels of salinity and learned how
to estimate carrying capacity by graphing population versus time.