MariahYau

March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682

Investigatingtheeffectof
concentrationofalgaeonthe
redearedsliderturtles
behavior

Abstract:
Themainconceptofthislabwastoinvestigatethelevelofalgaeintheturtlepondand
itsaffectontheturtleslivinginsidethepond.Whatwasdoneforthelabwasthateverydayof
classIwentdowntotheturtlepondcollectedsomewatersamplesandthenlookedathowmuch
algaewasinsidetheturtlepond.Ialsolookedathowtheturtlesreactedwhentherewasmore
algaeandwhentherewasless.Theresultscollected,showedthatwhentherewasmorealgaethe
turtlesfeltmoreprotectedbecausetheywereabletohideeasierandwhentherewaslessalgae
theyfeltmoreexposedandindanger.

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682

BackgroundInformation:
ThespeciesoftheturtlesintheturtlepondarecalledRedEaredSliders,theyarecalledthis
becausetheyhavearedearpatchonbothsidesoftheheadandtheyareknowntoslideinto
waterwheninsightofdanger
(
Reptiles
)
.

Herearesomespecificthingsthatthesetypeofturtlesneed:
1. Minimumofa20gallonaquarium.
o
o
o
2. Airtemperatureneedstobearound75
F,withan85
to90
baskingarea.
3. Theyneedawaterfilter.
4. Donotputtheturtlesarounddirectsunlight(thatencouragesalgaegrowth).
5. Thewaterneedstobeatleast1.5to2timesasdeepastheturtle.
6. Theyneedbaskingareas.
7. Foodneeds:25%commercialaquaticturtlediet,25%animalprotein,and50%plant.
8. VitaminSupplementsshouldbeaddedtwiceaweek.
9. Gravelatbottomofthetankshouldbeslopedforbaskingareas.
10. Besttousedistilledwaterbuttapwaterispossible.

Whattheturtlesalreadyhave:

Biotic

Abiotic

Bacteria

Temperature

Fungi(?)

Gravel

Algae

Fathers

Turtles

Water(Fresh)pH

DeadPlants

Cement/Concrete

Growthonsidewalls

Wind

Leaves

Dirt/dust

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Hydrogen

Carbon(dioxide)

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
ResearchQuestion:
Howdoestheconcentrationofalgaeintheturtlepondaffectthebehavioroftheredearedslider
turtles?

Hypothesis:
Ifthealgaelevelishighertheturtleswillbemoreunhappylivingintheirhabitatthanwhenthe
algaelevelislow.Thisisbecausetheturtleswillbehappierhavingacleanerecosystem.

Justification:
Itisknownthatthemorealgaethereis,morebacteriacanbedispersedintotheecosystem.This
canharmtheturtlescausinginfection.Althoughtoacertainextentalgaeisbeneficialasit
providesoxygenduringthedayhavingtoomuchcanactuallyharmthem.

Variables:
Table1:Variablesusedintheinvestigation
VariableType

Variable

Descriptionofhowvalues
weremanipulated

Independent(thevariable
thatischanged)

ConcentrationofAlgae

Whatwillbemeasuredisthe
amountofalgaethatthereis
perdropofthewater
collectedfromtheturtle
pond.

Dependent(resultsyousee
causedbytheIndependent
Variable)

Behaviourofredearedslider
turtles

Whatwillbelookedatisthe
waytheturtlesactinthe
waterespecially.Wherethey
arewithintheturtle,they
waytheyfeel,andiftheyare
spreadoutorgrouped
together.

Controlled(whatfactors
werekeptconstantandnot
changed)

1.) AmountofTurtles
2.) Humanimpactonthe
Turtles
3.) Theamountofwater
withintheturtlepond

1.) Theamountofthe
turtlesstaythesame
anddonotchange
throughoutthewhole
entiretimethatdatais
beingcollected.
2.) Theimpactofthe
studentswillnot

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
affectthebehaviour
oftheturtlestherefore
itisconstant.
3.) Theamountofwater
inthepondiskept
constant.Eventhough
itisrefilledthe
amountofthewater
placedinsidethe
turtlepondisthe
same.

MaterialsList:
Table2:MaterialsusedintheInvestigation
Items

QuantityUsed

Dropper

GlassSlide

Microscope

Coverslip

PlasticBottle

NitrogenTester

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
ExperimentalSetup:

Procedure:
1. Gathermaterials
2. Observethebehaviouroftheturtlesinthepond
3. Collectsampleofwaterfromtheturtlepondusingaplasticbottle
4. UsetheNitrogentestertotestthelevelofNitrogenintheturtlepond
5. Headbacktoclass
6. Useadroppertocollectadropofthewaterfromtheplasticbottle
7. Placethedropofwaterontoaglassslideandcoveritwithacoverslip
8. Placetheslideontothemicroscopeandcounthowmanyalgaethereis
9. Repeatsteps68twomoretimes
10. Repeatsteps19everyclass

SafetyPrecaution:
1. Cleanyourhandsaftercollectingwatersamples,topreventinfection
2. Collectthewatersampleawayfromtheturtlestocausenoharmtothem

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
RawDataCollection:
QuantitativeData
Table3:AmountofAlgaecollectedperday
No.

March9

March12

March16

March19

March23

Trial1

42

41

51

29

37

Trial2

34

35

62

27

32

Trial3

32

34

59

21

41

ExtraInformationonAlgae:
OnMarch9therewaslittlepiecesofbacteriamovingandtheNitrogenlevelwasaround
4.2whichisprettyhighontheNitrogenscale.

("135NO3N02SFCScale5x72.jpg")

OnMarch12therewasaNitrogenlevelof4.9whichisveryhighontheNitrogenscale.
OnMarch23whenlookingintothemicroscopetherewasarandomsquarewith4dots
and12dotsarounditwasrotatingincircles(thisbacterialookedlikealgaebutitwas
not)

QualitativeData
Table4:BehaviourofTurtles
March4

Waterwasdrainedoutandtheturtlesstayed
fartherawayfromtheramp.Thiswasprobably
causedbythefactthattheycouldnotgetoutof
thepondandalsotheywereclosertothewater
pump,probablytohidefrompredators.

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682

March5

Waterwasplacedbackintotheturtlepondand
theecosystemwasmuchclearerthanbefore.It
wasseenthattheturtlesfeltunsafewhenthe
waterwasclearerbecausetheyhadnowhereto
hide.Overall,itwasseenasifthecleanerthe
waterthemoresaddertheturtleswereandthey
stayedclosertothebottomofthepond.

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
March9

Thisdaytherewasmorealgaeinthewater,this
causedtheturtlestobemoresecureof
themselves.Theturtlesweremorespreadaround
insteadofstayinginoneplaceandtheywere
mainlyaroundthetopofthepondnotthe
bottom.

March12

TherewasmorealgaethisdaythanonMarch9
andtheturtlesweremovingaroundalot.They
seemedmuchmorehappierandprotected.

March16

Thisdaywaswhentherewasthemostalgaeso
far.Thisdaytheturtleshavenotmovedaround
thatmuch.Theywerespreadaroundandwere
aroundthetopofthepond.

March19

Thisdaytherewaslessalgaethantheotherdays
becausethewaterwasjustrefilledadaybefore.
Thisdaytheturtleswerealltogetherinanarea
probablybecausetheywantedtoprotect
themselves.Alsotheturtlesweremainlyonthe
bottomofthepondthanonthetop.

March21

ThisdaytherewasmorealgaethanonMarch19butthe
turtleswerestillonthebottomofthepond.Insteadof
beinginoneareatheywerespreadout.

ProcessedData:

Table5:AverageofAlgaeperday
Days

AverageamountofAlgae

March9

36

March12

37

March16

57

March19

26

March23

37

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
Table6:AmountofAlgaevs.TurtlesBehaviour
AmountofAlgaeperdrop

TurtleBehaviour(Scaleofhappinessto
sadness)

36

Unhappy

37

Happy

57

VeryHappy

26

VeryUnhappy

37

Happy

Graphs:

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
Calculations:
Average

42+34+32
=36
37+32+41
=37
33

41+35+34
=37
3

51+62+59
=57

29+27+21
=26

Discussion:
Whatarethepositiveandnegativefactorsofalgae?Algaeisatypeofplantthatgrowsin
waterandalgaeislargegroupsofseaweed,algaeisusedasfood,plantstohide,nitratecleaners,
etc.WithinAlgaeyoucanfindthissubstancethatispoisonousthatiscalledalgicideswhichcan
killtheturtles
(
Turtleforum.com
)
.EventhoughAlgaecanhavethistypeofsubstance,theturtlesdo
notmindthealgaewithinitselfanditisharmlesstothem.Ifalgaeincreasestoomuchitcanget
outofhandbutitwillonlybeawaterqualityissue,especiallywithhighnitratesthiswillnot
affecttheturtles

(
Turtleforum.com
)
.Tocontroltheamountofalgaethepondcanhaveplantslike
AnacharisE.densawhichcompeteswithalgaebutalsocanbesnackfortheturtlesandalso
algaeeatingfishbutonlyiftheturtlesletthefishlivelongenough
(
Redearslider.com
)
.
Inthedatacollecteditwasseenthatthemorealgaethereisthehappierandsaferthe
turtlefeels.Algaeprovidesthemwithnutrientsandcoverage.Whenthewaterwasclearerthe
turtlesfeltmoreuncomfortable.Humansandturtlesareincontrastwhenitcomestothatbecause
ashumanswebelievethecleaneranareaisthebettertheareaisbutaturtlebelievesthedirtier

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
thewaterthesafertheywillfeel.Anyoneinterestedinowninganaquariumwithturtles,should
knowthattheyareabletoleaveinalgaebecauseitisnotbadfortheturtles.

Evaluation:
Whenitcametotheexperimentaldesigntheindependentvariablewasfocusedonthe
concentrationofthealgae,thedependentvariablewasfocusedontheturtlesbehaviour,the
controlledvariablewastheamountofturtlesinthepond,thehumanimpactontheturtles,and
theamountofwaterwithintheturtlepond.Thedependentvariablewasfocusedonthehappiness
leveloftheturtle,insteadofcreatingagraphonthat,abetterwaytorepresenttheturtleswould
havebeentoousethedistancethattheyhadfromoneanotherandthepositionoftheturtles
withinthepond(iftheywereonthebottombythefloororonthetopbytheair).
Alsotheconcentrationofalgaecouldhavebeendifferent,insteadofcountingallofthe
algaeinonedrop,theamountofalgaepercircleinthemicroscopecouldhavebeencounted
instead.Themicroscopehelpedviewtheamountofalgaethattherewas,whichwasalot.An
errorthatcouldhavehappenedwasthattheamountofalgaethatwascountedcouldhavebeen
wrong,tosolvethisproblem5trialscouldhavebeendoneinsteadof3.Whenitcomestothe
procedureitshouldhavebeenthattheturtlepondwasviewedagainandthebehaviourofthe
turtleswasseentwice.Awaytoreducerandomerrorcouldhavejustbeentolookatamore
preciseestimateoftheturtlebehaviourasmentionedbefore,maybelookingatthelevelinwhich
theywerespreadoutorlookattheplacementoftheturtlefromthebottomtotopofthepond.
AnothererrorthatoccurredwasthattheNitrogentesterwasonlyusedtwiceonMarch9and
March12becausethemachinebrokeadayafter.Asuggestionforthiscouldhavebeenhaving
backupequipment.

Conclusion:
Inconclusion,myhypothesiswasnotsupportedbymyresults.Theresultsgathereddidnot
supportmyhypothesisbecausethedatacollectedconcludedtheoppositeofwhatwaswritteninthe
hypothesis.Whenitcametotheeffectofalgaeontheturtlesbehaviouritwasseenthatthemorealgae

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682
therewasthemoredisperseandcomfortabletheturtleswere.Inmygraphyoucanseetheturtleslevel
ofhappinessaccordingtothelevelofalgaethattherewasinthepond.Inmyhypothesisitwasstated
that
Ifthealgaelevelishighertheturtleswillbeunhappylivingintheirhabitatthanwhenthe

algaelevelislow.Thisisbecausetheturtleswillbehappierhavingacleanerecosystem,this
waswrittenduetofactthatitisknownthatthemorealgaethereisthemorebacteriacanbe
dispersedintotheecosystemandcauseharmtotheturtles.
Overall,thislabhasshownmemoreabouttheecosystemofaturtle.Ithasshownme
howturtlesact,whattypesofbioticandabioticfactorsthattheyneed.Whenmydatawas
collectedresearchwasconductedastowhytheturtlesneedalgaeandfoundoutthatbesides
havingalgaeasafoodsourcetheyneedalgaetohidethemselvesandprotectthemfrom
predators,whichwasalsomentionedinmy
DataTable2.
Thishashelpedbygainingastronger
understandingoftheturtlesandhowtheylive.

WorksCited
135NO3N02SFCScale5x72.jpg.
Sciencefaircenter.com
.N.p.,n.d.Web.7Apr.2015.
<http://sciencefaircenter.com/datasheet/SFCQuickCheckScales/135NO3N02SFCScale5x
72.jpg>.

Redearslider.com
.N.p.,n.d.Web.8Apr.2015.
<http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28813>.
Reptiles
.
Reptilesmagazine.com
.Web.27Mar.2015.
<http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/RedEaredSliderCareSheet/>.

MariahYau
March27,2015
Mr.Martin
ColegioFranklinDelanoRoosevelt
SchoolCode:0682

Turtleforum.com
.N.p.,n.d.Web.8Apr.2015.
<http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/?showtopic=120445>.

Turtletimes.com
.N.p.,n.d.Web.8Apr.2015.
<http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/topic/55348helpmyturtlepondalgae/>.