Biology

UMUC Biology 102/103

Lab 1: Introduction to Science

INSTRUCTIONS:

On your own and without assistance, complete this Lab 1 Answer Sheet electronically and submit it via the Assignments Folder by the date listed in the Course Schedule (under Syllabus).

To conduct your laboratory exercises, use the Laboratory Manual located under Course Content. Read the introduction and the directions for each exercise/experiment carefully before completing the exercises/experiments and answering the questions.

Save your Lab 1 Answer Sheet in the following format: LastName_Lab1 (e.g., Smith_Lab1).

You should submit your document as a Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) file for best compatibility.

Exercise 1: Data Interpretation

Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid, such as water. Since many living organism requires oxygen to survive, it is a necessary component of water systems such as streams, lakes and rivers in order to support aquatic life. The dissolved oxygen is measured in units of ppm (parts per million). Examine the data in Table 4 showing the amount of dissolved oxygen present and the number of fish observed in the body of water the sample was taken from; finally, answer the questions below.

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Post-Lab Questions

1. What patterns do you observe based on the information in Table 4?

As water quality increases so does the number of fish.

2. Develop a hypothesis relating to the amount of dissolved oxygen measured in the water sample and the number of fish observed in the body of water.

Hypothesis would be: Does water quality effect the fish population.

3. What would your experimental approach be to test this hypothesis?

I would test theory by conducting a experiment on clean water vs contaminated water.

4. What would be the independent and dependent variables?

Independent variables: Clean water and Contaminated...