Year 9 January 2018

DUCKWEED: AN INTRODUCTION
Duckweeds are a family (Lemnaceae) of floating water plants. The 22 species are common all
over the world, in a wide variety of habitats but are most frequently found in still or slow
flowing water, in ponds and ditches or streams. They are flowering plants but mostly
reproduce by a very rapid form of a-sexual, vegetative reproduction called budding.
Duckweed is easily carried from one habitat to another, for instance on the feet of birds, and
so is commonly an invasive plant species. Apart from its nuisance value as an invasive
species, duckweed is high in protein and is consumed by humans in Asia. It is also an efficient
absorber of pollutants such as phosphates and nitrates from water and might have use as a
form of water purifier.

Duckweed invasion on Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, 2004:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=4654

The a-sexual growth of duckweed in ideal

conditions, can approach exponential rates
(2-4-8-16-32 etc). Growth will not be truly
exponential since there is a limit to the
number of buds which can be produced on
one frond and fronds die after a short time. A
colony of duckweed might double in size in 3
or 4 days in ideal conditions.

The most usual method of measuring growth of duckweed is to count fronds. (The fronds of
duckweed look like small leaves floating on the surface but are actually adapted stems of the
plant.) Most duckweed research depends on frond counts. Counting fronds is relatively easy
but can take considerable time.

When counting fronds, it is the accepted

procedure to count every visible frond,
even the tips of small new fronds that are
just beginning to emerge from the pocket
of the mother frond. The "blackboard"
drawing shows an example with several
fronds in different orientations and
stages of growth, and with two plants
connected by a stipe (stipule). Every tiny
individual, budded clone should be
counted as one independent frond. A
magnifier is usually necessary to count
duckweed fronds. It is all too easy to
miss fronds or count them twice.
Placing a square-ruled sheet of paper beneath the culture can help to reduce counting errors.
Year 9 January 2018

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE GROWTH RATE OF DUCKWEED.

What conditions (abiotic factors) could you investigate with duckweed?

 Nutrients – fertiliser present, loose soil mixed in water, nitrates, phosphates

 Light – intensity, colour, length of “day”
 Toxins present – heavy metals such as copper (present as copper (II) nitrate),
detergent, motor oil, weed killer
 Water – temperature, disturbance
 Salinity

GENERAL AIM
Choose one of the abiotic conditions above and investigate how that abiotic factor influences
the growth of duckweed over 7 days? You will need to set up two experimental samples, one
of which is the control, not influenced by the abiotic factor.

YOUR TASK
Using simple apparatus, design a method to investigate the above aim. You will need to plan
(using the planning format) and report (in your file) on your practical investigation, including
the following things:

 Write a suitable hypothesis

 Identify the variables
 Identify the apparatus
 Develop a usable method
 Record data in an appropriate table
 Treat the data from a table by making two graphs of the results
 Make a valid conclusion to the experiment
 Evaluate the investigation and identify the sources of error, and suggest
improvements
 Communicate your investigation

TIMETABLE
9B
 Monday 8th January : Plan investigation, using the planner sheets
 Wednesday 10th: Set up investigation
 Through Wednesday 17th: Recording results
 Wednesday 17th and homework: Graph and write-up
 Monday 22nd: Delivery of file with lab report

9A
 Thursday 11th January : Plan investigation, using the planner sheets
 Friday 12th: Set up investigation
 Through Friday 19th: Recording results
 Friday 19th and homework: Graph and write-up
 Thursday 25th: Delivery of file with lab report