1. EVPP 110 Lab Freshwater Streams 1-2 Diversity of Life 12
Week of October 29th 2018
Version 1 2.
5/11/2019 5:31:18 AM

3. Activity 1 – Field Data Collection from Stream
Freshwater Streams –
Activity 1 – Field Data Collection from Stream

4. Freshwater Stream Relatively pure, holding few dissolved salts.
Usually < 1% salt.
Stream
A body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks.

5. Importance of streams:
Support diverse assemblage of fish and wildlife.
Essential to residents who use them as:
A source of drinking water.
A place for recreational activities.
Nutrient cycling.

6. Threats to streams Industry, towns and roads Crops Septic tank
Dams.
Water withdrawals.
Pollution, resulting from:
Nutrient influx.
Agricultural runoff.
Urban runoff.
Industry.
Invasive/exotic species.
Direct habitat degradation by:
Agriculture.
Urbanization.
Acid rain.
Overharvesting of plants and animals.
Climate change, which alters:
Temperature.
Flow.
Salinity.
Crops
Septic tank
Livestock farming
Human effluent disposal

7. Stream Health Indicators
Chemical/physical characteristics:
Presence of pollutants.
Presence of organisms:
Water temperature.
Desired / undesired.
Nitrates.
Phosphates.
Dissolved O2.
pH.
Alkalinity.
Conductivity.
Turbidity.

8. Organism collection Kick net sampling:
Flow direction
Kick net sampling:
Place net on stream bottom at a riffle.
Net opening should face upstream.
Net body should point downstream.
Water should flow through the net.
Stand on the upstream side of the net to kick.
Kick (disturbing rocks and surface) for one minute in area as wide as the net and from the net back to a distance of about one meter.

9. Photo © Amy Rose, GMU Fourth Estate.
Take materials to Mason Pond stream.
Organisms will be observed back in the lab in this class period.
Gather data on physical and chemical properties of stream water.
We only have one stream, so don’t fill out tables 1.3 and 1.4, nor the “stream 2” column in Table 1.5.
Photo © Amy Rose, GMU Fourth Estate.

10. Table 1.1. Chemical and physical properties of water
Sample Source
Table #
Water Temp. (C)
Nitrate (units ____)
Phosphate (units _____)
Dissolved O2 (units _____) pH
Alkalinity (units _____)
Conductivity (units ____)
Turbidity (units _____)
Stream name: 1 2 3
Mean:

11. Table 1.2. Results of pollutant tests
Sample Source
Table #
_______ (units ____)
_______ (units ____)
_______ (units ____)
_______ (units ____)
Stream name: 1 2 3
Mean:

12. Be sure to label jars with section # and group #.
© GMU Fourth Estate, 2014.
You do not need to add alcohol to jars with organisms since you will look at the organisms today.
Be sure to label jars with section # and group #.

13. Activity 2 – Identifying Organisms
Freshwater Streams –
Activity 2 – Identifying Organisms

14. Table 2.2. Abundance codes based on ranges of organisms to calculate water quality score. (Source: Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Monitoring and Assessing Water Quality)
Code: R C D
Indication:
Rare
Common
Dominant
# Organisms:
1-9
10-99
=> 100

15. Organism Type (Species) Tolerance Group # individuals Abundance Code I
Table Number of individuals, tolerance group, and abundance code for each type of organism
Stream Name:
Organism Type (Species)
Tolerance Group
# individuals
Abundance Code I II
III ?
Total:
Determine the abundance code using Table 2.2 (p. 591).

16. Since you are sampling only ONE stream, OMIT Tables 2.5 and 2.6.
Table Summary of the number of abundance code letter appearing in each tolerance group
Stream Name:
Abundance Code
Tolerance Group I II
III R C D
Since you are sampling only ONE stream, OMIT Tables 2.5 and 2.6.

17. Table 2.9. Group index values, water quality score and water quality
Group Index Value
Stream I II
III
Water Quality Score
Water Quality
Calculate group index values:
I = (R x 5) + (C x 5.6) + (D x 5.3)
II = (R x 3.2) + (C x 3.4) + (D x 3.0)
III = (R x 1.2) + (C x 1.1) + (D x 1.0)
Calculate water quality score (WQS) by adding the total of the three index values.
Record water quality based on WQS:
> 40 = Good
20-40 = Fair
< 20 = Poor

18. Table Water quality
Water Quality
Stream  Lab Table  1 2 3
Since you are sampling only one stream, you will complete only two rows in Table 2.10 (one for the reference stream and one for the stream you sampled).

20. Diversity of Life – Activity 12 – Trees

21. Photo © Student Government (2016)
Trees provide valuable ecosystem services:
Reduce stormwater runoff.
Help control erosion.
Removes pollutants from air
NO2, SO2, O3, CO, particulate matter.
Absorbs atmospheric carbon.
Aids in energy conservation.
Provide food and shelter for other organisms.
Photo © Student Government (2016)

22. Importance of Tree Diversity
Diversity varies by forest type.
Affects diversity of other organisms in ecosystem.
Dictates type of ecosystem services a particular type of forest can perform.

23. Circle versus tree trunk
Cross-section of tree trunk is roughly “circular” in shape.
Circumference (C)
distance around perimeter of circle
C =  D (or, C = 2  r)
Diameter (D)
Distance from edge to edge of circle, passing through center.
D = C /  (or, D = 2 r)
Radius (r)
distance from center of circle to edge of circle
r = ½ D
Area (A)
A =  r2

24. Determining the diameter of a tree trunk while it is still standing/uncut:
Can’t be done directly, so…
Measure circumference and do the math, e.g.:
Circumference = 150cm
C /  = D
150cm/  = D
47.75cm = D
D = 47.75cm

25. Go to your quadrat.
Use diameter tape to measure (in cm) the DBH (diameter at breast height) of each tree with DBH ≥10cm.
“breast height” = 4.5ft ~ 1.37m
1.37 m
DBH

26. Record data for each tree in your quadrat:
Table Tree species, DBH (cm, m) and basal area (m2) for each tree with DBH >= 10 cm by individual tree for trees in group quadrats
Tree #
Tree Species
DBH (cm)
DBH (m)
Basal Area (m2) 1
White oak
145
1.45
 ((½(1.45))2 =1.65 m2 2
Red maple 45
0.45
0.159 3
Black gum 23
0.23
0.042 4 89
0.89
0.622 5
Total =
2.473
Record data for each tree in your quadrat:
Run calculations at the lab:
DBH in m (=DBH in cm / 100).
Species.
DBH in cm.
Basal area (aka area), using the formula A =  (½ D)2

27. Population Density #/m2
Table Total number of trees (abundance), population density (#/m2), total basal area (m2), and % basal area by tree species for group quadrat
Tree
Species
Abundance (#)
Population Density #/m2
Total Basal
Area (m2 )
% Basal
Area
White oak 2
2/98 = 0.02
2.272
(2.272/2.473) x 100 = 91.87
Red maple 1
0.01
0.159
6.43
Black gum
0.042
1.70
Abundance of each species = # individuals of each species.
Population density of each species = abundance / area of quadrat.
Quadrat = 7m x 14m = 98m2
Total basal area per species = sum of all basal areas of one tree species.
Percent of the total basal area represented by each species = (total basal area for a species / total basal area in quadrat) x 100.

28. % basal area of dominant species
Table Dominant tree species, number of trees of dominant species, total number of all trees, % dominant tree and % total basal area for dominant species by group
Table #
Dominant tree species
# trees of dominant
species
# trees (all species)
% dominant species
% basal area of dominant species
Ex.
White oak 2 3
(2/3) x 100 = 66.67
91.87 1
Determine the dominant (most abundant) tree in your quadrat and record the results for all groups.

29. Weekly Data Sheet pages
What’s Due
Weekly Data Sheet pages
Weekly Write-Up pages
Activity 1
573, 581
Activity 2
593, 601
Activity 12
203, 207
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