Title: In this lab, we were to find out of the three treatments, one controlled one with

nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) and one with nutrients including iron, which was the most beneficial to phytoplankton. The dependent variable in this lab is the type of nutrients that was added into the water and the independent variable is the amount of phytoplankton.

Background: Phytoplankton requires nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates for

sustainability, but too much excess nutrients will cause eutrophication. When eutrophication does occur then it will cause life more difficult to other marine organisms that depend on sunlight because an algae bloom will prevent sunlight from reaching the rest of the ocean. Eventually hypoxia will occur in the water. Research has shown phytoplankton population tends to increase in size more rapidly in the presence of iron because it helps carries electrons and acts as a catalyst when phytoplankton photosynthesizes. Phytoplankton are the primary producers in the ocean and many marine organisms depend on them as a food source.

Hypothesis: If phytoplankton were in the presence of various nutrients and iron, then their
growth rate will be the greatest.

Protocol: Add 100mL of filtered sea water and 5mL of phytoplankton each into three flasks.
Label: Control, Nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) and Nutrients and Iron (nitrates, phosphates, and iron) onto each flask. Now, add 600l of nutrients into the flask labeled nutrients and add 600l of nutrients and iron into the flask labeled iron. When done with that step, then place a cotton ball over all the flasks, including the control and leave it in an area that provides equal amount of sunlight for it. Measure each phytoplankton treatments %T count, includes the measurement of transmission of life by using a spectrophotometer and the amount of phytoplankton seen through a microscope for an eight days period. Record all data and graph it all out to compare which treatments had the most phytoplankton growth.

Data Table:
Day 1 Phytoplankton % T Treatment Count Control 3 86 Nutrients 0 89 Nutrients and 7 Iron 87 Day 2 %T Count 5 88 10 95 7 96 Day 3 %T Count 6 92 12 95 12 98 Day 4 %T Count 14 101 5 93 25 97 Day 5 %T Count 15 81 3 96 34 94 Day 6 %T Count 10 95 7 95 10 92 Day 7 %T Count 6 82 5 82 27 94 Day 8 %T Count 24 88 11 88 67 88

Graph:

Spectometer Measurement
110 105 % Transmission 100 95 90 85 80 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Days Day 8 Control Nutrients Nutrients and Iron

Phytoplankton Count
80 70 Amoutn of Phytoplankton 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Days Control Nutrients Nutrients and Iron

Conclusion:
My initial hypothesis was if phytoplankton were in the presence of various nutrients and iron, then their growth rate will be the greatest. After an experiment with phytoplankton in three treatments: nutrients, nutrients and iron and one without any extra nutrients, data shows that my initial hypothesis is supported. The data shows that the treatment with nutrients and iron had the most phytoplankton count when compared to the other two treatments. Through this lab, I was able to learn the effects that nutrients have on phytoplankton. Nitrates and phosphates are necessary for phytoplanktons sustainability, but when iron is also included, and then it will be more beneficial to phytoplankton because they will be able to grow at a faster rate than when they have nutrients alone. Phytoplankton is a keystone organism in the ecosystem; therefore it is important that they have the nutrients they need to sustain life, otherwise other organisms will also cease to exist. It is important to have a large set of data because we can compare and contrast the data and see if ours or the other teams data were correct of not. Data collecting is important because the more data we have, the more evidence we have to support our hypothesis, and it can also find flaws in our experiments. Not everyone had the same results as us. It could have been our fault, but it could also be their faults for not double checking during counts, or one of us messed up during one of the steps. Based on this experiment, I was able to find out that iron is beneficial to phytoplankton, but I also found out that too much nutrients in the waters is harmful to many organisms due to lack of oxygen from algae blooms caused by eutrophication. By fertilizing the sea, the phytoplankton population is able to increase from the excess nutrients. It can also remove carbon dioxide from the air, but it is expensive, and the results last for only a period of time. When the sea is fertilizing, there is a possibility that eutrophication may occur, then the oxygen levels will depletes and eventually it will cause many other marine organisms to die off. However, nutrients are still necessary to organisms and the result of the experiment was acceptable.