|
| |
|
When I enrolled in the Kinkaid School in the fall of this year, I had biology for my science subject. Biology is my favorite science subject because we can learn how the biosphere system works and how other living organisms like ourselves interact with the environment. Some of my biology lab experiments were carried out in the school's backyard (below), where we can observe nature at work. The school's backyard is a secondary forest beside the Buffalo Bayou (a river). There are three vernal pools on the riverbank, and they were dry when I first saw them. Why are they called vernal pools? The pools don't look like pools at all; they are just dried-up muddy earth. Later, when it rained, I observed that the vernal pools were flooded. I decided to research what a vernal pool really is. A few questions came into my mind. How long can a vernal pool last? What are the organisms that depend on the vernal pool? What are their life cycles? What is the water quality in the vernal pool? Does water quality affect the organisms in the vernal pool?  Map 1(Click to enlarge) |
 The dry Kinkaid vernal pool before the rain. In order to answer these questions, I prepared a procedure to collect data from one of the vernal pools. The data was to be collected in three categories. The first category was a description of the physical parameters in and around the pool. These included air and water temperatures, humidity, pool size, water depth, and water opacity. The second category was a description of the water quality of the pool. Water samples from two locations in the pool were collected and analyzed for pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, and the amounts of iron, copper, free chlorine, total chlorine, nitrate/nitrite, and nitrite present. Distilled water was used as a control for my water quality analysis. I also analyzed Houston tap water for reference. The two water sample locations were at the edge of the pool and at the deepest point of the pool. The third data category was to observe and record the living organisms in and around the pool area. This category included a description of the microorganisms in the water. The organisms in the pool were sampled using an aquarium fish net, while the microorganisms were observed from my water samples, using a microscope. This data was collected every afternoon for the duration of the vernal pool. These observations helped answer my questions about life in a vernal pool. |
        
|
|
