Is There a Significant Difference in the Number of Paired Bladders on the Fucus Vesiculosis Between Different Shorelines?

A2 Biology Individual Study





Is there a significant difference in the number of paired bladders on the Fucus vesiculosis between different shorelines?












Abstract
The aim of the investigation is to see if the nature of the shoreline affects the number of air bladders on the Fucus Vesiculosis and therefore is it beneficial to lack air bladders on exposed shores for risk of detachment. Random numbers were obtained and plotted on axis in the form of two thirty metre tape measures, to find the data for the number of paired air bladders on the Fucus vesiculosis, further data also included temperature recordings and pH readings for the rock pools at the two shorelines respectively. All samples were left in situ and the local environment was harmed as little as possible from my investigation. A t-test was performed on the data to insure that any difference in the mean values is not due to chance. My results illustrates that the contrasting shorelines do appear to influence the number of air bladders on the algae that I investigated.

Experimental Hypothesis
The more exposed the shoreline the fewer the number of paired air bladders on the Fucus vesiculosis.

Null hypothesis
There will be no significant difference between the number of paired air bladders on Fucus vesiculosis on a sheltered shore and on an exposed shore.


















Introduction
Bladder wrack or Fucus vesiculosis (Fig.1) is a large olive-brown species of seaweed found on the rocky shores around the coastline of Britain and in my experiment I will be investigating F. vesiculosis in Aberystwyth and Borth (Fig.2)in mid west Wales. F. vesiculosis occurs mainly near to the middle shore where it can attach itself to rocky areas by its holdfast (1). It is often found in areas with Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus serratus (2). Bladder wrack can grow up to two metres in length with spherical air bladders alongside the midrib for buoyancy (3).


The...