Productivity
What is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass on as one organism eats another?
Food chain
> 50,000 (and likely many more!)
Which regulation contains the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards?
O. Reg. 169/03
What is the morphology of coliform bacteria?
Bacillus (rod-shaped)
Provide one example of a primary producer?
Land plants, freshwater algae, marine algae, cyanobacteria
Which organisms use energy from the sun to make carbohydrates through a process called photosynthesis?
Photoautotrophs
All algae evolved from which common ancestor?
Cyanobacteria
Which indicator organisms are used to assess drinking water quality?
Total coliform and E. coli bacteria
Which colours will show positive results for total coliforms and E. coli using the IDEXX method?
E. coli = fluorescent blue
What are the two types of reporting units for total coliform and E. coli bacteria?
CFU = colony forming units
MPN = most probably number
What are three factors that can limit primary productivity?
Nutrients, sunlight, temperature, CO2, water
Which group of algae are referred to as sea weeds and kelps?
Brown algae
Which indicator organisms are used to assess recreational water quality for beaches?
E. coli and Enterococcus
What are three lab methods used to analyze total coliform and E. coli bacteria?
1) IDEXX Quanti-tray method
2) Membrane filtration
3) R-Cards
What is the difference between plankton and periphyton?
plankton = free-floating algae
periphyton = attached algae and bacteria
In food webs, these are described in which order away from which energy source?
Trophic levels are ordered in an ascending pattern away from the sun
Diatoms and biomineralization
What is the difference between total coliforms, fecal coliforms and E. coli bacteria?
Total coliforms - can be good or bad, can originate from gut of warm blooded animals or not
Fecal coliforms - present in the gut and feces of warm-blooded animals
E. coli - present in the gut and feces of warm-blooded animals and possibly pathogenic
What is the definition of aseptic, and how can it be maintained in the lab? Give three examples.
Aseptic = free from contamination caused by harmful bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms
Wear gloves, disinfect work space, flame apparatus (where appropriate).
What is the name of sewer systems that convey both stormwater and sanitary sewage, and what have they been linked to?
Combined sewers and CSOs
Beach closures
What are three methods that can be used to quantify primary productivity?
1) DO to measure photosynthesis
2) rate of increase in biomass
3) measure chlorophyll-a
What is the name of the toxin produced by cyanobacteria, and what is the current drinking water standard for it?
Microcystin-LR and 0.0015 mg/L
What are the Ontario recreational water quality guidelines, and which government agency published them?
Geometric mean for E. coli <200 cfu/100 mL
Single sample for E. coli <400 cfu/100 mL
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care
For one of the E. coli lab methods we did during labs, what are two advantages and two disadvantages of that method?
Pros?
Cons?
What is the name of the agency that lead our field trip? List five types of data that were recorded during sampling.
Swim Drink Fish
Water temperature, pH, DO, conductivity, water depth, Secchi depth, weather data