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FAMOSA CREW - FALL 2018

How do salinity and pH levels


affect invertebrate quantity and
diversity in the Famosa Slough?

Nadia Gloag
Adrian Rivera
Ethan Kelley
Biology
Table of Contents
I) Introduction p. 2
II) Methodology p. 3
III) Results p. 9
IV) Discussion p. 11
V) Works Cited p. 13
VI) Research Pictures p. 14

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I) Introduction

Wetlands are distinct ecosystems that are mainly occupied by water. Wetlands are distinguished
from other landforms or bodies of water because of they host a significant diversity of aquatic plants,
birds, invertebrates, crustaceans, and fish. Wetlands are complex systems that contribute greatly to
Earth’s ecosystems. They filter nutrients out of incoming waters, which protects oceans from land based
water sources that may pollute the water. An important factor in maintaining the health of wetlands is
invertebrate diversity. Not only do invertebrates play a significant role in wetland food webs, they also
help to determine and maintain the health of a wetland. The higher the diversity of invertebrates found
in a wetland, the healthier that wetland is (Urrbrae Wetland Learning Centre, 2012).
Water quality has a significant effect on wetlands. As emissions of carbon dioxide build up in the
atmosphere due to climate change, excess carbon dioxide is dissolving into the oceans where it reacts
with seawater to form carbonic acid. This lowers ocean pH levels also known as acidification. Higher
acidity levels result in a decrease of calcium carbonate. This is very detrimental to wetlands because
calcium carbonate is necessary for many marine animals such as invertebrates, as it required to form
their shells. Another way water quality and the health of wetlands are related is the fact that increasing
surface runoff also increases pollution and decreases salinity (National Ocean Service, 2012). Higher
salinities can be a determining factor of wetland biodiversity. A factor of variability between
invertebrate species is salinity because of the salinity levels necessary for some lifeforms.
The objectives of the proposed study of the Famosa Slough will be to examine the relationship
between water acidity and salinity and invertebrate quantity and diversity. This study will give insights as
to the effects of water flow and ocean acidification in wetlands. We predict that sites with higher
salinities and lower pHs will contain less invertebrates, as ocean acidification has probably affected the
lifeforms in that water.

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II) Methodology

Independent Variable
The independent variable of this study will be the location. Locations are categorized by salinity. See
Figure 1 for locations.

Figure 1: Map of the Famosa Slough​ – ​1: High Salt Marsh, 2: Brackish Marsh, 3: Freshwater Marsh

Dependent Variable
The dependent variables examined are the quantity and diversity of aquatic invertebrates, salinity, and
pH. Refractometer will be used to measures salinity, the change of direction or bending of the light as it
passes from air to water. The more salt in the water, the slower the light moves. pH will be measured in
potential hydrogen within the water sample.

Control Variables

To control research, a plankton tow will be used in order to collect unbiased and equal samples. Also, pH
and salinity will be recorded on-site to account for evaporation and prevent the changing of pH over
time.

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Confounding Variables
Confounding variables that may impact research are natural and human errors. Rains and floods may
cause a shift in pH and salinity levels, and other natural disaster would affect the land and its
inhabitants. Human errors may include sight bias. Once samples are collected and ready for inspection,
it will be very near impossible to ensure organisms of all sizes and types are analyzed, as only some
species of invertebrates are visible to the human eye. Research data collection is at a preset time and
there is a two day delay before plankton ID

Sample Size
The sample size for this study will be 4 oz of water per location. Samples will be collected from 3
locations. 10 random invertebrates will be selected at random, identified and researched from each
location’s sample.

Materials
❏ Jars - 6 oz
❏ Plankton tow
❏ Ph Meter - Sper Scientific Advanced pH/ORP Meter 850055
❏ Refractometer
❏ Laptop
❏ Phone
❏ Data sheet
❏ Microscope
❏ Microscope Slides
❏ Pipettes
❏ Clipboard
❏ Pencil
❏ Marker pen
❏ Map

Primary Research Methods


1. Obtain three samples of water from a freshwater marsh, high salt marsh, and brackish marsh in
the Famosa Slough by skimming the water with plankton tow from a foot away from the shore.

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Brackish Marsh – 6 inches deep – will be sampled first, High Salt Marsh – 4 inches deep – will be
sampled second, and Freshwater Marsh – 2 inches deep – will be sampled last.
2. Take pH measurements on-site using a pH meter from a sample cup
3. Take salinity measurements on-site using refractometer from a sample cup
4. ID the invertebrates/zooplankton - under microscope, using the ​Scripps Institute ​- 1ml of the
sample will be placed on the slide using BD Falcon droppers. A dissection AmScope will be used
to identify bigger invertebrates and a compound AmScope will be used to analyze smaller
invertebrates.
5. Photograph the invertebrates/zooplankton under microscope, using a phone camera
6. Sort invertebrates/zooplankton by location
7. Study the invertebrates/zooplankton to find out similarities and differences between the
invertebrates from location to location. Some specific things researched will be size, role in the
food web, and nativity. In the lab we will identify invertebrates, on site we will test salinity and
pH levels.

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Data Collection Sheets:

Date:__________________________________________

Sampling Team Names:___________________________________________

Sampling Site Location & Data:____________________________________

Site 1

Salinity pH Visual Notes

Invertebrate ID and Invertebrate Picture

Invertebrate 1 Invertebrate 2 Invertebrate 3 Invertebrate 4 Invertebrate 5 Unable to ID

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Site 2

Salinity pH Visual Notes

Invertebrate ID and Invertebrate Picture

Invertebrate 1 Invertebrate 2 Invertebrate 3 Invertebrate 4 Invertebrate 5 Unable to ID

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Site 3

Salinity pH – Visual Notes

Invertebrate ID and Invertebrate Picture

Invertebrate 1 Invertebrate 2 Invertebrate 3 Invertebrate 4 Invertebrate 5 Unable to ID

Data Summary: Invertebrate and pH Overview

Total amount of Invertebrates ID’d

Average pH level

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III) Results

Figure 2: Findings represented with pH levels depending on location in the Famosa Slough

Figure 3: Finding represented with salinity levels depending on location in the Famosa Slough

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Figure 4: Findings represented with the quantity of species of macroinvertebrates in the high salt marsh zone in the Famosa
Slough

This study references data collected at three different locations in the Famosa Slough over the
course of October 5, 2018. The data on macroinvertebrate quantity was recorded by what was visible to
the human eye only. The data was collected the day after a rainfall.Numbers represented in this section
have not been rounded down or up to avoid inaccurate data and findings are represented in Figures 2, 3,
and 4.

The first site data was collected from was the High Salt Marsh. The pH recorded was 7, the
salinity was 45%, and the number of macroinvertebrates viewed was 11. This included eight water
boatmen and three ​Paracalanus parvus.​

The second site data was collected from was the Freshwater Marsh. The pH recorded was 7.8,
the salinity was 1%, and the number of macroinvertebrates viewed was zero.
The third site data was collected from was the Salt Panne. The pH recorded was 7.4, the salinity
was 100%, and the number of macroinvertebrates viewed was 0.
The data shows that there is a probable parabolic relationship between salinity levels and
macroinvertebrate quantity and diversity in the Famosa Slough, however, there is no relationship
between pH and invertebrates.

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IV) Discussion

The purpose of this experiment was to test and document the connection between levels of pH
and salinity and invertebrate quantity and diversity in the Famosa Slough. We predicted that the more
acidic the pH, the less invertebrates in samples. Researchers found that there was no relationship
between pH and invertebrate quantity and diversity, but that there was a relationship between salinity
and invertebrate quantity and diversity. This may be because of the limited water pH variation in the
Famosa Slough, because of the rainfall that occured before data collection, or because aquatic
macroinvertebrates have adapted more to fluctuating pH levels because of climate change and ocean
acidification.
Natural pH levels had no effect on macroinvertebrate levels. From the data collected it can be
seen that the range of pHs recorded was from 7 to 7.8. This small range results in no real difference in
acidity because of how close on the scale they are. Salinity levels did correlate with macroinvertebrate
quantity. The only location in the Famosa Slough with macroinvertebrates was the high salt marsh zone,
a location with salinity levels that stay around 50%. The other locations, with 1% and 100% salinity had
no macroinvertebrates recorded. From this data it can be concluded that macroinvertebrates in the
Famosa Slough prefer habitats with salinities around 40%-50%.
The Famosa Slough is impacted by pollution. The most frequent invertebrate found over the
course of this study was Water Boatman, which is a pollutant tolerant invertebrate. Wetlands with a
high presence of pollutant tolerant species, such as water boatmen, have a higher percentage of
solution (The Ohio State University, 2000).
Increased amount of surface runoff impacts the amount of invertebrates and diversity of
invertebrates. The most dramatic change in pH levels in the Famosa Slough from normal levels was
during and after rainfall. There was also a decrease in macroinvertebrate quantity after the rainfall.
Debris from the rain may have caused an increase in surface runoff and traveled to the Famosa Slough.
In conclusion, our hypothesis, that higher pH levels would yield higher salinities and less
invertebrate quantity and diversity, was inaccurate. There may have been some errors because data was
collected on only one day after a rainfall. We recommend a future study that uses data collected from
different days under more controlled conditions. We also recommend that macroinvertebrate quantity
and diversity be researched. Our hypothesis for any more in-depth studies would be that if the
relationship between salinity and macroinvertebrate quantity were to be graphed in would be parabolic.
This finding is significant because it shows that macroinvertebrate species have only a range of salinities
to which they are adapted to, and the Famosa Slough is impacted by pollution.

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V) Works Cited

Acharyya, Swarnali, and William J Mitsch. Macroinvertebrate Diversity and Its Ecological Implications in
Two Created Wetland Ecosystems. Environmental Science Graduate Program, The Ohio State University,
2000, pp. 65–76, Macroinvertebrate Diversity and Its Ecological Implications in Two Created Wetland
Ecosystems.

“Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae,
Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720.​ ​Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720​.”

“Macro Invertebrates.” ​Urrbrae Wetland Learning Centre,​ Weebly,


www.urrbraewetlandlc.org/macro-invertebrates.html​.

NOAA. “What Is Ocean Acidification?” ​National Ocean Service Website​, 1 Aug. 2012,
oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/acidification.html​.

Voigts, David K. “Aquatic Invertebrate Abundance in Relation to Changing Marsh Vegetation.” The
American Midland Naturalist, vol. 95, no. 2, 1976, pp. 313–322. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/2424396​.

“Welcome to Zooplankton of the San Diego Region.” ​Scripps Institution of Oceanography,​ Scripps
Institute of Oceanography, ​scripps.ucsd.edu/zooplanktonguide/​.

Zooplankton of Tidal Marsh Channels,​ vol. 21, no. 205–219, ser. 2014, 30 Sept. 2014, pp. 204–219. ​2014​,
doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f.

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VI) Research Pictures

Figure 5: Researcher A. Rivera observing and identifying a macroinvertebrate collected from the Famosa Slough

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Figure 6: Researcher N. Gloag observing and identifying a macroinvertebrate collected from the Famosa Slough

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Figure 7: Paracalanus parvus under microscope

Figure 8: Paracalanus parvus hatchling under microscope

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Figure 9: Gammarus pulex under stereo microscope (discluded from research due to errors in data collection)

Figure 10: Gammarus pulex under (discluded from research due to errors in data collection)

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Figure 11: Dragonfly nymph under microscope (discluded from research due to errors in data collection)

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Figure 12: Sample from the high salt marsh zone of the Famosa Slough (contents discluded from research due to errors in data
collection)

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