THE EFFECT OF FUNGI ON OXYGEN LEVELS
This experiment was done on the amount of oxygen that different types of fungi use to break down materials in soil. The three types of fungi used were Saprolegnia, Sordaria fimicola Mutant Gray, and Penicillium notatum. The experiment tested the following hypothesis: If the amount of oxygen in a soil-water sample containing fungi is measured before and after a four day period, then the Saprolegnia will have used the most oxygen. To conduct this experiment, a soil-water mixture was made in twelve labeled mason jars. Using an oxygen probe, the amount of oxygen in the soil-water mixture was recorded and fungi were added to their respectful jars to sit and grow for four days. After the four day period, the oxygen probe was once again used to record the amount of oxygen in the soil-water mixture. This experiment was repeated three times for a total of twelve trials for each type of fungus. The data was analyzed using an ANOVA test of significance, which concluded that there was no significant difference between the amounts of oxygen used by any of the fungi.
Research Done By:
Amy Elliott
L'Anse Creuse High School
Amy VanAssche
L'Anse Creuse High School
Warren Consolidated Schools