Amphibians As An Indicator!!

Here is My Amphibian Walk!!!

Lab write: Using Amphibians as Indicators.

This Includes Standard: S7L4.c

Problem Question/Purpose:

I am investigating why there is a decrease in the frog population

If there is a decrease in the frog population, then there is probably a high level of pollution in their ecosystems.

The materials that I utilized to design and carry out my investigation were…

1. Pencil

2. Camera

3. Test Tubes

4. Forest Scenario

5. Frog logger

6. Nitrogen indicator tablet

7. 2 corks

8. Gloves                (2 pairs)

My procedures are…

1. After a rainy day go to a forest with a pond.

2.  Set up a frog logger in the pond.

3.  Wait for ten minutes.

4.  Play back vocalization.

5.  Make my observations.

6.  Put on one of my gloves.

7.  Take out one test tube.

8.  Fill up the test tube

9.  Place one nitrogen indicator tablet in the test tube.

10. Place a cork at the top of the filled test tube.

11. Turn the wrist with the closed test tube downwards and upright four times.

12. Wait for five minutes.

13. Check the color of the water.

14. Make my observations.

15. Put away used gloves and test tube.

16. Repeat directions 2-5.

17. Put on my other pair of gloves.

18. Take out the other test tube.

19. Repeat directions 8-15.

20. Take pictures

Observations	Before Cutting	After Cutting
Sounds you heard	You can hear more frog vocalization. There was a lot of rain on March 23 2002; the noise level was very high. There were a lot of frogs too. Roots of trees act like filters. Roots gradually release water into the soil.	You can hear less frog vocalization. There was very little rain on March 25 2003, so the noise level was low. I heard frogs too, but there was few. There are no roots to hold soil.
Nitrogen Concentration	The color sample was in-between low and medium. Low nitrate concentrations. So there were lots of frogs living in the pool. And there was very little infection going on in the pond without the frogs noticing.	The color sample was high. This means there were high nitrate concentrations. So this proves that there was lots of chemicals and poop in the pond (high nitrogen concentrations) which makes the frogs get infected and die.

Conclusion:

My hypothesis stated that if there is a decrease in frogs then there is a high level of pollution in their ecosystems. I used a virtual simulation to prove my hypothesis. After completing the lab I have seen that the vocalization of an ecosystem depends on how many healthy frogs there are, and that the roots of trees really help the ecosystem. My observations suggest that nitrate levels could help frogs for better or maybe for worse. This means that vocalization depends on the amount of frogs which depends on the nitrate levels.

In conclusion, my hypothesis was mostly correct because with high nitrate levels and a decrease in frogs. I learned that with trees there are less polluted runoff and nitrogen going into the ecosystem. This ends up with more healthy and better frogs. Without trees there would be a lot of runoff and nitrogen going into the ponds, which would kill them. Therefore there are increasing nitrate levels and a decreasing chance for frogs to live.

This lab is connected to what I learned in class because in science this year we are learning how the quality of ecosystems affects life in the ecosystems. 

-Andy Iyabor