Our FoodWeb and 3-D model!

Food Web.

3-D model my partner made of our pond.

Loko I'a Kalo (Taro Fishponds)

"The loko I’a kalo, also known as taro fishponds, were the last type of inland pond built by the Hawai’ians. These ponds were filled with water that flowed from the mountain streams to the sea. Kuapas and ’auwais were constructed so that water from the stream could flow into the pond. Taro was planted in mounds and the fish were transferred to the loko I’a kalo from nearby ponds. The nutrient-rich taro allowed the fish to grow very large." --Kapiolani Community College Horizons 2002


These ponds were strictly women only as to keep it a more 'pure' place to be. No men were allowed. In order to get the food they needed from this pond they would use their hands. Only when there were big fish did they use nets or spears. This pond was as well strictly for food. (Found at the base of the mountains were the stream are located.)

Five life forms that were found in this pond would be as shown;

(Animals) - Eat?

*O'opu nopili (Goby) - plankton and Limu

*'Opae (Grass Shrimp) - Plankton and Limu

*Tahitian Prawns - Crabs and O'opu nopili

*Crabs - O'opu nopili and O'pae

(Plant) - Food?

*Limu (Freshwater algae) - The sun
















(This was a two person project and so me and my partner split the work. Sadly, though, that stupid guy didn't do his part and so I am left without the construction and foodweb. Sorry for the trouble and for his stupidity. Hopefully he'll get off his lazy butt and finish it soon.)

Fish Pond Re-Building! WoOt!

Here is a short video one of my class-mates Amanda took while we were out and about rebuilding a Hawaiian pond! Enjoy~! :D

Parade!

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Thats All For The High Tide! Bye Bye!

The results show an increase in life forms in the Lower Inter Tidal Zone. This shows that there are more animals are in the wet areas then there are in the dry areas. The adaptions that the animals in the Lower Inter Tidal zone are things such as suction, spines, and poisons. The adoptions in the Splash Zone are things such as shells and burrowing abilities as to get into the sand. Although, sometimes, in smaller areas animals in these zones will co-exist. One source of error in our study was that I only had one sample for each zone.

Graphs Anyone?

Here are two graphs me and my group did in the transects.

Intertidal Zones! Lets go!

Today I will be talking about the Intertidal Zones. The Intertidal Zones consist of the Splash Zone, the Upper and Lower Inter Tidal Zones, and the Sub Tidal Zone. There are also tide pools between the Lower Inter Tidal Zone and the Sub Tidal Zone. These zones are super different as well! The Sub Tidal Zone is the lowest and is always submerged in water. Above that are the tide pools which are a permanent collection of water. Then, there is the Lower Intertidal Zone which is only exposed at very low tides. Next, there is the Upper Inter Tidal Zone which is only emerged at high tides. The final zone is the Splash Zone which is always above water and is only exposed to sea spray. Besides this the animals are also different depending on the zone. To survive in a certain zones these animals have to make adaptations. Some adaptations include shells, suction, and spines. Other examples could be multicolored, defense weapons(claws, etc.), and even adaption to certain foods.

Ho'okepa Maui Boat Ramp

I have discussed the relations between water quality and plankton population by showing that Ho'okepa is less clean then Maui Boat Ramp, which Ho'okepa has less plankton. The sources I used were a report by Boreal Environment Research and www.Wikipedia.com. This study is important because it shows us we need to clean up the waters, for it attracts less plankton. A few sources of error in this lab was the lack of sample areas. There were only a few samples taken from around the same time. Also there was no information on other things that could be affecting plankton population.

Here are a few picture we took at the Maui Boat Ramp when we took all our data down.

Here is the Boat Ramp it's self.





This is called a Turbitiy tube. We used this to check just how clear the water really is.






And this is what we used to put our samples in! YAY! RECYCLABLE BOTTLES! :D

Welcome One & All To My Science Blog!

Here I will be talking about one of the most important things in life, plankton. Why are they important you may ask? Well they are extremely important as they are the basis of all life! Not only are they the pillars of the food chain, but blue green algae make up 90% of the earths oxygen. One study that examined water quality and plankton population in a forested area by Boreal Environment Research in 1998 showed that with the water quality, it changes the populations of specific plankton and some actually increased.