Narragansett High School What’s Growing On?(EARTH2015) How do Nitrogen and Phosphorus travel through the environment? A new way to examine these nutrient cycles Kathy Couchon Narragansett High School Narragansett, RI

Unit Summary This unit focuses on the importance of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P) in the environment, cycling of these elements in ecosystems, limiting factors for growth, population growth and carrying capacity. Students will explore how N and P move through the environment, calculate growth rates from data provided from authentic science conducted at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), predict how these nutrients will impact marine environments, and conduct algal growth experiments including observations and data collection

Scientist Amy E. Zimmerman, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Summary of “Ecology of marine pico- phytoplankton” presentation at EARTH 2015

Research Worden Lab at MBARI - to better understand the ecology and evolution of the Picophytoplankton (smallest of the photosynthetic plankton, 2 μm or less in cell diameter) in Monterey Bay

Used with Honors Biology 1 - Goals To use Amy’s research data to introduce students to population dynamics of a planktonic population Growing algae(Chlorella) to determine growth rates and carrying capacity Prepare students for a later unit - student designed experimental research

Where do the Nutrients go Making Air out of Oceans Sequence Where do the Nutrients go Making Air out of Oceans Student Lab Experiment: What is the Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Algal Populations? ?

Getting Started Where do the Nutrients go? Examining nutrient cycles - review format - we had covered this earlier in the year Introductory Educanon video - introduce in flipped format - worked OK Did not use the fill in the blank activity

Next - Making Air Out of Oceans How limiting nutrients paint the world we breath Students investigate limiting factors for phytoplankton Relate to earlier activity (good polar connection) - Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean

Making Air out of Oceans What worked well: Used Amy’s data on Ostreococcus (under different concentrations of N and P) to graph carrying capacity Predicted where N and P would be found in world’s oceans - then examining NOAA maps of nutrient distribution

Making Air out of Oceans What did not work well: We were not successful at examining growth rates - most did not have the math experience

Student Lab Experiment: What is the Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Algal Populations? Chlorella

Chlorella expt. Students choose their own independent variable related to the presence of plant fertilizer (nitrogen/phosphorus) in order to predict, measure, and analyze the effect on algal density and growth rate

Chlorella expt. What did not work well: Difficulty in quantifying algal growth at first Only spectrophotometer available we had no experience with - kids were frustrated Light meter was not successful

Chlorella expt. What worked well: Students were sufficiently frustrated and challenged in researching and deciding on independent variables Students found this Likert scale to determine algal growth Two students worked out a mathematical procedure - flawed, but interested

Summary This is a very comprehensive & detailed lesson overall - maybe 10 authors in several lesson components Use what you want Happy to incorporate a polar lesson I already used

Summary... Great intro to student research - gave kids a good heads-up on what to expect They remarked upon this in their reflections Hope that other Bio teachers will use and add comments