The Effect of Different Levels of Carbon Dioxide on the Oxygen Production of Thalassia Testudinum

• Main Author: Caruso, Jonathan
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Furman University Scholar Exchange 2019
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2019/all/192

Recent experiments have reported a drastic increase in CO₂ in the atmosphere over the past century. Future projections conclude that it will continue to rise over the next 50 years and on. This excess CO₂ sequesters into the seawater which leads to ocean acidification. This is a large problem to be faced in the near future where many plants may not withstand the increased effects. This experiment was led to determine what would become of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum in the future environment. Seagrass is the base of the food chain in the marine ecosystem as it provides food and shelter for larger organisms. 20 samples of seagrass were divided into 5 groups of 4. Each group was given a specified amount of CO₂, determined by projections of future CO₂ levels, besides the control group which was not given any CO₂. A week after adding the CO₂, dissolved oxygen samples were taken over 9 days to see how well the plants responded. The results gathered showed slightly higher oxygen levels that decreased slowly as the plants died. Assuming the CO₂ did raise the oxygen production, it may not have lasted very long until the CO₂ returned to its normal levels. Regardless, the tested null hypothesis that the seagrass would show increased levels of oxygen as more carbon dioxide was added failed to be rejected. The p value of 0.995 confidently shows that the statistics gathered were significant but the data does not support the tested hypothesis.