The Effect of Thalassia testudinum and Rhizophora mangle on the Prevention of Acidic Conditions In Aquatic Environments

Apurva Mitta

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Environmental Science

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

The emission of anthropogenic pollution from industrial activities contributes to increases in ocean acidity, creating unsuitable environments. To alleviate this problem, the use of aquatic plants is being proposed. Thalassia testudinum is a species of seagrass known for abilities in maintaining a viable pH for aquatic organisms within areas subject to large amounts of CO2. As a result, it was hypothesized that the Thalassia testudinum would efficiently increase the pH when grown in an environment that mimics the ocean. Three Thalassia testudinum and three Rhizophora mangle were placed in an environment of substrate and solutions with specific amounts of himalyan sea salt, baking soda, and CO2, depending on the trial. The pH changes were recorded throughout two weeks. It was found that at the end of week two, the pH levels for the Thalassia testudinum in all solutions were highest. Two one-way ANOVAs were conducted for variables with and without additional CO2, revealing that the relationship between the plants and changes in pH were not statistically significant: p = 0.642, p = 0.186; p > 0.05. Additionally, the degrees of freedom were 19.33 for the first ANOVA, with F(2,6) = 0.48, and 18.51 with F(2,1) = 13.92 for the second ANOVA; the low f-values and high p-values caused the null hypothesis to fail to be rejected. As a result, changes such as using more aquatic plants or calculating the variations in CO2 intake with methods of titration can be applied in future studies.

Location

Furman Hall 227

Start Date

3-28-2020 9:29 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 28th, 9:29 AM

The Effect of Thalassia testudinum and Rhizophora mangle on the Prevention of Acidic Conditions In Aquatic Environments

Furman Hall 227

The emission of anthropogenic pollution from industrial activities contributes to increases in ocean acidity, creating unsuitable environments. To alleviate this problem, the use of aquatic plants is being proposed. Thalassia testudinum is a species of seagrass known for abilities in maintaining a viable pH for aquatic organisms within areas subject to large amounts of CO2. As a result, it was hypothesized that the Thalassia testudinum would efficiently increase the pH when grown in an environment that mimics the ocean. Three Thalassia testudinum and three Rhizophora mangle were placed in an environment of substrate and solutions with specific amounts of himalyan sea salt, baking soda, and CO2, depending on the trial. The pH changes were recorded throughout two weeks. It was found that at the end of week two, the pH levels for the Thalassia testudinum in all solutions were highest. Two one-way ANOVAs were conducted for variables with and without additional CO2, revealing that the relationship between the plants and changes in pH were not statistically significant: p = 0.642, p = 0.186; p > 0.05. Additionally, the degrees of freedom were 19.33 for the first ANOVA, with F(2,6) = 0.48, and 18.51 with F(2,1) = 13.92 for the second ANOVA; the low f-values and high p-values caused the null hypothesis to fail to be rejected. As a result, changes such as using more aquatic plants or calculating the variations in CO2 intake with methods of titration can be applied in future studies.