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    Plankton Net TE

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    Restuhu
    1) Students will build a plankton net using wire, nylon stockings, and plastic water bottles to study plankton. Plankton are tiny plants and animals that drift in water and are an important part of aquatic ecosystems and food webs. 2) To build the net, wire is bent into a circle and a stocking is attached to form a funnel shape. The open end is attached to a water bottle, which is used to collect and concentrate plankton samples. 3) By making multiple plankton net tows and comparing to samples collected by other means, students can analyze plankton abundance and diversity in the local body of water.

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    Plankton Net TE

    Uploaded by

    Restuhu
    46 views4 pages
    1) Students will build a plankton net using wire, nylon stockings, and plastic water bottles to study plankton. Plankton are tiny plants and animals that drift in water and are an important part of aquatic ecosystems and food webs. 2) To build the net, wire is bent into a circle and a stocking is attached to form a funnel shape. The open end is attached to a water bottle, which is used to collect and concentrate plankton samples. 3) By making multiple plankton net tows and comparing to samples collected by other means, students can analyze plankton abundance and diversity in the local body of water.

    Original Description:

    Jaring plankton

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    1) Students will build a plankton net using wire, nylon stockings, and plastic water bottles to study plankton. Plankton are tiny plants and animals that drift in water and are an important part of aquatic ecosystems and food webs. 2) To build the net, wire is bent into a circle and a stocking is attached to form a funnel shape. The open end is attached to a water bottle, which is used to collect and concentrate plankton samples. 3) By making multiple plankton net tows and comparing to samples collected by other means, students can analyze plankton abundance and diversity in the local body of water.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    46 views4 pages

    Plankton Net TE

    Uploaded by

    Restuhu
    1) Students will build a plankton net using wire, nylon stockings, and plastic water bottles to study plankton. Plankton are tiny plants and animals that drift in water and are an important part of aquatic ecosystems and food webs. 2) To build the net, wire is bent into a circle and a stocking is attached to form a funnel shape. The open end is attached to a water bottle, which is used to collect and concentrate plankton samples. 3) By making multiple plankton net tows and comparing to samples collected by other means, students can analyze plankton abundance and diversity in the local body of water.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    Teacher Edition

    Build a Plankton Net


    Grades:
    Grades 6-8
    Delaware State Science Standard:
    Science Standard 6 Life Processes
    Strand: Matter and Energy Transformations;
    Approximate time to complete project: 3-4
    hours. This can be broken into two days; 1
    hour to build the net and 2 hours to do the
    net tow and microscopy.
    Background Information: Plankton are the
    tiny plants and animals that drift in water.
    They can be classified as phytoplankton or
    zooplankton. Phytoplankton are
    microscopic plant-like organisms that form
    the base of the food web in the ocean and
    other aquatic ecosystems. Like plants, they
    use the suns energy to convert carbon
    dioxide to carbohydrates and generate
    oxygen through photosynthesis. In fact,
    phytoplankton are responsible for about
    90% of the oxygen in the Earths
    atmosphere. Most phytoplankton are
    found on the surface of the water where
    they can get the sunlight and nutrients they need for growth. Zooplankton are tiny
    animals that eat phytoplankton. They form an important link in the food web to transfer
    carbon from phytoplankton to larger organisms, such as fish. In this project you will
    make a plankton net. The net is constructed from wire and a nylon stocking to form a
    funnel-shaped net that is towed through the water. Scientists use plankton nets to trap
    and concentrate plankton for study.
    Preparation: Jewelry wire works well for this project and is very easy to bend. Initially,
    simply wrap the wire ends around each other and make sure that the stocking fits before
    sealing with tape. The tape will prevent the sharp ends of the wire from causing
    damage. Students should work in pairs to make the construction of the net easier, but
    will likely need some assistance from an adult. To prepare the students for this project,
    locate images of plankton on the internet or in books to give the students an idea of the
    different shapes and sizes of plankton. Discussion topics: (i) photosynthesis and (ii) the
    food web.

    Teacher Edition

    Fun Facts:
    - If all phytoplankton in oceans were placed end to end, they would form a board
    3 X 12 extending from the earth to the moon.
    - Phytoplankton divide about once per day, so to maintain the size of this board
    (and not get bigger each day!) the amount of phytoplankton consumed each day
    is equal to the size of this board.
    Materials and Equipment:
    Thin wire, 50 cm (20 in) in length
    Duct tape
    Electrical tape (optional)
    Nylon stocking or a leg cut from panty hose
    Heavy thread and needle
    Top half of a plastic water bottle with cap
    String
    Scissors
    Key ring (optional)

    Ring

    Stocking

    Methods:
    1. Bend the wire into a circle. Use the tape to fasten the
    loose ends together.
    2. Roll the mouth of the stocking around the wire ring. Sew
    the stocking to the wire using the heavy thread and needle.
    Alternatively, use duct tape to secure the stocking all the
    way around the wire.

    Cup

    3. Cut off the foot of the stocking, and then place the end of the stocking around the
    opening of the water bottle, with the cap of the bottle pointed down. Tie the stocking
    securely to the bottle and use duct tape to reinforce the connection.
    4. Use scissors to make 3 tiny holes near the top of the net, close to the wire. Cut three
    pieces of string, each about 50 cm long, to make the bridle to tow your net. Thread
    them through the holes in the net and tie them around your ring (see figure above). Tie
    the three strings to a key ring, or tie them together if not using a key ring. Your plankton
    net is complete.
    5. To tow for plankton, tie a length of rope to your bridle and pull your net through the
    water. Remove your sample by unscrewing the cap of the bottle and drain the
    concentrated plankton into another container. Collect a second sample of water using a
    cup or bucket for comparison to the net tow. View your plankton through a microscope.

    Teacher Edition
    Analysis: Compare the number of plankton collected by the plankton net to the number
    of plankton collected by dipping a cup or bucket into the water. Draw a picture of the
    most abundant plankton you see in your concentrated sample.

    Questions:
    1. Why did we use nylon stockings to make the net? The holes in the stocking are
    about 0.2 mm across. Are the plankton you collected in your net larger or
    smaller than 0.2 mm?
    The nylon stockings let water and very small plankton through the holes, but
    collect everything greater than 0.2 mm in size.

    2. What would happen if you made a plankton net out of burlap with 1 mm holes?
    Would you collect more or less plankton with a net made from burlap than you
    would collect with the stocking?
    A plankton net made out of burlap would let more plankton through and collect
    only large size plankton in the bottle.

    3. How did the number of plankton collected in the plankton net compare to the
    number collected in the cup or bucket?
    The plankton net concentrates the sample, so there are more plankton in the net
    tow than in the cup or bucket.

    4. Why do you think scientists use plankton nets?


    Scientists use plankton nets to concentrate plankton in the water sample. They
    do this to measure plankton size and abundance, and to see how many different
    kinds of plankton are in the water. Scientists use this information in many ways,
    such as to investigate the effects of pollution on plankton or to investigate food
    webs.
    5. Draw a picture here of the most abundant plankton in your sample.

    Teacher Edition

    Extra Reading:
    Sea Soup: Phytoplankton by Mary M. Cerullo
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hLA14zyc8
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=9N9K7MeIyts
    Plankton Net - a data base of plankton with images (http://planktonnet.awi.de/)

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