Dissolved Oxygen Virtual Lab and Simulations
BACKGROUND
The purpose of these virtual labs/simulations is to learn how to measure the primary productivity of an
aquatic system and investigate factors that can affect primary productivity.
Part I: Gross and Net Primary ProductivityVirtual Lab
Introduction
Look at the diagram above. Write a caption/description for this diagram.
Open the video that is linked here. Answer the questions while watching the video.
(It is a video of a lab).
1. Where and what is the sample of water used in this lab?
2. What is the dissolved oxygen (DO) reading of the water sample?
3. How many bottles are filled?
4. Why was the lid of the bottle put on under the water?
5. What plant is put in each bottle?
6. Describe the treatment to each bottle. (What was done differently to each bottle?) Why?
Pause the video and use what you’ve learned about experimental design to answer these questions:
7. List 4 constants (the things that are the same for each bottle) in this lab:
8. What is the independent variable?
9. What is the dependent variable? (What will we measure?)
Play the video to get the results and answer these questions:
10. What is the DO level of the bottle that was in the light? (Remember your units!)
11.What is the DO level of the bottle that was in the dark? (Remember your units!)
Fill in this chart:
Initial Dissolved Oxygen (ppm) Final Dissolved Oxygen in Dark Final Dissolved Oxygen in Light
(both bottles) Bottle (no photosynthesis, only Bottle (both respiration and
respiration) photosynthesis)
12. Calculating Respiration Rate: Only respiration (and not photosynthesis) can occur in a dark bottle. Respiration
rate is the decrease in DO over time. To determine this for your sample, subtract the dark DO from the initial DO,
then divide it by the time (usually in days).
This will give an answer in mg O2 /L/day. Use the formula below to assist you.
In a water solution, ppm =mg/L
R=
13. Calculating Gross Primary Productivity: Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) is the total amount of carbon that
was fixed by organisms over a period of time. To determine this for your sample, subtract the dark bottle DO
from the light DO values, then divide it by the time (usually in days).
This will give an answer in mg O2 /L/day. Use the formula below to assist you.
GPP =
14. Calculating Net Primary Productivity: Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is the total amount of carbon that was
fixed by organisms into living tissue minus that used for respiration over a period of time To determine this for
your sample, subtract the respiration rate in mg O2 /L/day from GPP in mg O2 /L/day. This will give an answer in
mg O2 /L/day. Use the formula NPP = GPP - R
NPP =
15. You can also use the formula below to calculate the net primary productivity since the difference between
the light bottle DO and the initial DO is essentially the same algebraic expression as GPP minus respiration rate.
NPP =
In this lab, we measured the amount of oxygen that was laid down into biomass. In other words, the amount of
oxygen that was turned into tissues on the bodies of the plant. Typically, however, we would mass the producers
and calculate the amount of calories available for consumers as energy if they ate the producers.
More Practice:
16.The gross primary productivity of an ecosystem is 3.5 kgC/m2 /year, and the energy needed by the
producers for their own respiration is 3.0 kgC/m2 /year. What is the net primary productivity of such
an ecosystem?
17.The net annual primary productivity of a particular wetland ecosystem is found to be 2,000 kcal/m2.
If respiration by the aquatic producers is 18,000 kcal/m2 per year, what is the gross annual primary
productivity for this ecosystem, in kcal/m2 per year?
18.Energy flow in Lake Fremont (kcal/m 2 /year)
Trophic Level Energy Consumed Waste Energy GPP NPP
Producer 1,500,000 10,000 8,000
Primary Consumer 2,000 1,600 200 180
Secondary Consumer 160 100 40 10
In the community described in the table above, which of the following represents the respiratory energy
(kcal/m2 /year) used by autotrophic organisms? Highlight your answer.
a) 10 b) 200 c) 1,600 d) 2,000 e) 10,000
Part II: Investigating The Effect of Various Abiotic Factors on Dissolved Oxygen Content
In these simulations, you will be examining photosynthesis in an aquatic plant using dissolved oxygen.
The amount of dissolved oxygen present directly correlates to the gross primary productivity so we will
use that
Go to the cell energy simulation at Biology Simulations.
Plants perform both photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
1. How will photosynthesis affect oxygen levels?
2. How will cellular respiration affect oxygen levels?
3. In the light, plants perform both photosynthesis and cellular respiration. So measurements of
dissolved oxygen in the light correlates to GPP or NPP? Explain your reasoning.
Part I: Respiration
Procedure: Find the respiration for the plant.
1. Set the fish number to 0 and the plant number to 1.
2. Set the light intensity to 0% (With no light, there will be no photosynthesis and all changes to oxygen
will be due to respiration).
3. Leave the other variables at the default values (25 degrees, white light)
4. Run the simulation three times, recording the starting and ending oxygen values in the table.
5. Find the average difference to determine the respiration per hour. Record your data below:
Trial DO Start DO End DO Difference
Average
Average DO Difference = Respiration / hour
Respiration / hour =
You will use this as the respiration for the rest of the simulations.
Now - pick one abiotic factor - light intensity, light color or temperature below and complete the
simulation for your variable. (Note: you do not need to do all three - pick on that interests you.)
Light Intensity
Experimental Question: How does light intensity affect oxygen production?
What is your hypothesis about the effect of light intensity on oxygen production (NPP)?
Procedure.
1. Set the fish number to 0 and the plant number to 1. Leave the other variables at the default values
(25 degrees, white light).
2. Set the light intensity to 100%.
3. Record the starting and ending oxygen values.
4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%.
5. Record your data below and calculate the DO difference, Oxygen (O2) production (in 60 minutes),
and Oxygen production per minute.
Light Intensity (%) DO start DO end DO Difference O2 Production* O2 Production/min
100
80
60
40
20
*O2 Production = DO Difference + Respiration
Since you are adding respiration back into this to get the total O2 produced per minute, are you
calculating NPP or GPP? Explain your reasoning.
Graph and Conclusion
1. Insert a graph displaying how light intensity affects O2 production per minute.
2. Write a sentence conclusion.
3. Write a brief paragraph explaining your conclusion in terms of the process of photosynthesis.
Light Color
Experimental Question: How does light color affect oxygen production?
What is your hypothesis about the effect of light color on oxygen production (NPP)?
Procedure
1. Set the fish number to 0 and the plant number to 1. Leave the other variables at the default values
(100% light intensity, 25 degrees).
2. Set the light color to white (combination of all wavelengths/colors).
3. Record the starting and ending oxygen values.
4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red light.
5. Calculate and record the DO difference, Oxygen (O2) production (in 60 minutes), and Oxygen
production per minute.
Light Color DO start DO end DO Difference O2 Production* O2 Production/min
White
Violet
Blue
Green
Yellow
Red
*O2 Production = DO Difference + Respiration
Graph and Conclusion
1. Insert a graph displaying how light color affects O2 production per minute.
2. Write a sentence conclusion.
3. Write a brief paragraph explaining your conclusion in terms of the process of photosynthesis.
Temperature
Experimental Question: How does temperature affect oxygen production?
What is your hypothesis about the effect of temperature on oxygen production (NPP)?
Procedure
1. Using the procedure from part I (respiration) find the plant respiration for 15, 20, 30, and 35 degrees.
Temperature (C) Trial 1 DO Difference Trial 2 DO Difference Trial 3 DO Difference Average
(Respiration/Hour)
15
20
30
35
2. Set the fish number to 0 and the plant number to 1. Leave the other variables at the default values
(100% light intensity, white light).
3. Set the temperature to 15 degrees.
4. Record the starting and ending oxygen values.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 20, 25, 30, and 35 degrees.
6. Calculate and record the DO difference, Oxygen (O2) production (in 60 minutes), and Oxygen
production per minute. For respiration, use the value determined for each temperature.
Temperature (C) DO start DO end DO Difference O2 Production* O2 Production/min
15
20
25
30
35
*O2 Production = DO Difference + Respiration
Graph and Conclusion
1. Insert a graph displaying how temperature affects O2 production per minute.
2. Write a sentence conclusion.
3. Write a brief paragraph explaining your conclusion in terms of the process of photosynthesis.
