Seema

Introduction
The research question for this experiment was to help people understand how
fertilizer increases or decreases eutrophication, or algae growth. Eutrophication has
resulted in many negative effects on the Chesapeake Bay in the past century. Oysters and
other Bay creatures are dying in record number, and the health of the Bay has declined.
The given hypothesis was that if fertilizer is added to growing algae, then algae growth
will increase in grams because fertilizer provides many needed nutrients for algae such as
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium oxide.
Many sources contributed to the understanding of the nutrients given to
underwater plants by fertilizer. This knowledge would let people know the effects of
fertilizer, the manipulating variable, on eutrophication, the responding variable.
Eutrophication is caused by the enrichment of water by plant nutrients (Cooke). Although
there is no evidence that fertilizers cause eutrophication (Cooke), some information backs
up that hypothesis. Plants need 18 elements; carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper,
molybdenum, boron, chlorine, cobalt, and nickel. While natural fertilizers are slow with
fewer nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus elements, they are less likely to damage
plants and seeds. Chemical fertilizers have 6% nitrogen, 12% phosphorus, and 12%
potassium oxide (Lessman). Nitrates, minerals also found in fertilizers, help
eutrophication as well (Morgan and Lalor). In this experiment, a fertilizer will be applied
with 12% phosphorous to one group of underwater plants, and another group (the control)
of plants will receive no fertilizer, and 0% phosphorus.
There are also many negative effects of fertilizer and algae bloom. Firstly, the
actual fertilizer and its chemicals can damage water and kill fish. Also, since fertilizer
causes eutrophication, as the algae blooms, it diminishes water clarity and decreases the
amount of light available for sea plants and phytoplankton (Fabrizi). When the algae die,
oxygen-demanding bacteria take all the oxygen. Without, oxygen, fish will suffocate and
die (Thinkquest team). The water with dissolved oxygen (from dead algae) is called
hypoxia. Finally, fertilizer can affect the health of humans and animals. Ammonia, from
the decay of fertilizer, can cause minor irritation to the respiratory system. Although there

5
are many negative effects of fertilizer and algae bloom, there is a dilemma about
removing algae because it supplies oxygen during photosynthesis. Two things will be
measured in the aquatic plant environment. One, the plants will be weighed on a scale to
see the growth in grams. The second measurement will be the dissolved oxygen in the
water, in parts per million.
There was a lot of research in the process of finding out how fertilizer helps
eutrophication. Fertilizer can cause retention in plant growth. This is because fertilizer
improves the plant’s actual physical properties (Longacre). Since seaweed and algae are
plants, fertilizer from run-offs in streams and lakes can cause eutrophication. Therefore,
human activities, such as adding fertilizer to grass and farmland, can increase
eutrophication. Also, the dead plants from the negative effects of eutrophication will line
the bottom, causing more algae bloom (Hasler).
So knowing the nutrients provided by fertilizer, negative effects of fertilizer, and
how fertilizer helps eutrophication can help people better hypothesize how fertilizers will
increase or decrease eutrophication. By measuring the weight in ounces of algae with
added fertilizer, someone calculate the difference in increase of eutrophication. After
conducting an experiment, the true results to this scientific problem will be known.