Lab Bench activity

The purpose of this lab was to learn how to calculate the net productivity, the gross productivity, and respiration.
3 ways to measure the primary productivity are:

1. The amount of Carbon dioxide used.
2. The rate of sugar formation.
3. The rate of oxygen production.

Some of the factors that affect the amount of oxygen dissolved in water are:

1. Temperture: as water becomes warmer, its ability to hold oxygen decreases.
2. Photosynthetic activity: in bright light, aquatic plants are able to produce more oxygen.
3. Decomposition activity: as organic material decays microbial processes consume oxygen.
4. Mixing & Turbulence: wave action, waterfalls, and rapids all aerate water and increase the oxygen concentration.
5. Salinity: as water becomes more salty, its ability to hold oxygen decreases.