Objectives
- Students will simulate adjusting the pH of a lake and draw conclusions about the relationship between pH and biodiversity.
- Students will learn the difference between biotic and abiotic factors and how abiotic factors affect biotic factors.
- Students will simulate adjusting the temperature of a lake and draw conclusions about the relationship between water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels in the lake.
Vocabulary
- pH
- biotic
- acid
- base
- abiotic
- biodiversity
- dissolved oxygen
About the Lesson
In this activity, students will observe model environments, adjust abiotic variables in those environments, observe the results of those adjustments, and then draw conclusions about the effects of the abiotic world on the biotic world.
As a result, students will:
- Learn the fundamental meaning of "biotic" and "abiotic" factors, and how each impacts the other to determine biodiversity.
- Form a basic understanding of pH and how it affects biodiversity of an aquatic ecosystem.
- Develop an understanding of the relationship between water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels.