Group+2A-

6/8 Neatness/Organization- Out of order 7/8 Introduction- "mostly found in people's homes?" 6/8 Procedure-Needs to be more specific! 8/8 Data- 7/8 Conclusion- No support with #'s 34/40 Total

Mariah Ellison Tanner Webb Sterling Yankee Matt Knoecklein

=__The Green Star Polyp Experiment__=

Green Star Polyps are classified as soft corals and its scientific name is //Clavularia viridis//. Green Star Polyps are attached to each other by purple mats and are mostly found in peoples homes. Most Green Star Polyps will survive in most reef tanks conditions and can tolerate low levels of light, but in higher levels of light the polyps will be brighter. Most Green Star Polyps will survive in moderate water motion and in temperatures between 74 degrees to 84 degrees. These corals are aggressive towards other corals because of its rapid growth. Green Star Polyps are photosynthetic and no special supplements are needed. These corals are great for propagation because of its rapid growth.
 * __Which Current Is Best?__ **

=__Aquarium Conditons for Green Star Polyps__= If you where to put Green Star Polyps in your tank at home it would be good to know that due to the rapid growth of the mat these polyps will become agresive tourds other types of corales. This is because it is fighting for more space in the tank to grow. It will kill any other polyps that you place within the growing area of the Green Star Polyp. Placeing another coral stranger or morre agresive next to the Green Star Polyp will lead to killing the Polyp because it will fight back. It would just be wise to keep all other corals a safe distance away.

=__Feeding of Green Star Polyp__= Green Star Polyp contain a symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, hosted within their bodies to provide for the majority of their nutritional requirements through photosynthesis. They also benefit from weekly feedings of micro plankton or foods specifically designed for filter feeding invertebrates.

= __Data (For the following Data, "Current" refers to the polyps placed in direct exposure of the air current and "Calm" refers to the coral placed in more calmer water.) __ = Current 1 : 5 polyps and there was two about to open Current 2 : there was 11 polyps about to open Calm 1 : no polyps about to open Calm 2 : 5 polyps about to open
 * __Day 1 - 10/15__**

Current 1 : 1.5x.5cm Current 2 : 1.25x.5cm Calm 1 : 1x1cm Calm 2 : 1x1cm
 * __Day 2 - 10/19__**

Current 1 : 1.5x1.5cm, seven polyps Current 2 : DEAD Calm 1 : DEAD Calm 2 : DEAD
 * __Day 3 - 10/30__**

__**New Polyps -**__ Current 1 : 1.6cm Current 2 : 1cm Calm 1 : 1.7cm Calm 2 : 1.8cm, two polyps

__**Day 4 - 11/10**__
Current 1 : 1.7cm Current 2 : 1.3cm Calm 1 : 1.7cm Calm 2 : 1.8cm

__**Day 5 - 11/16**__
Current 1 : 2x1.5cm Current 2 : 1.5x1cm Calm 1 : 1.7x1cm Calm 2 : 1.9x1cm

__**Day 6 - 11/24**__
Current 1 : 2.3x1.6cm Current 2 : 1.7x1.2cm Calm 1 : 1.8x1cm Calm 2 : Lost

__**Day 7 - 11/30**__
Current 1 : 2.3x1.7cm, Two polyps open Current 2 : 1.7cm, three open polyps Calm 1 : 1.9cm Calm 2 : Lost

__**Day 8 - 12/10**__ Current 1 : 2.5x1.9cm Current 2 : 1.9cm Calm 1 : 1.9cm Calm 2 : Lost

__**Day 9 - 12/17**__ Current 1 : 2.6x2cm Current 2 : 1.9cm Calm 1 : 2cm Calm 2 : Lost

=**__Our Procedure!__**= For our groups procedure we have decided to focus on the corals reaction to water currents, as opposed to light levels. Since these corals are said to grow best in medium water flow, we will place two in fast, aggressive current, and two in slower, calmer current. Since the claim is that these polyps survive best and medium current, our hypothesis is that __the corals will thrive best in the slower current and considerably less in the fast current.__ However, this experiment will also allow us to see what **DOES** happen to Green Star Polyps when they are placed in faster currents. (We will place two in both locations so as we might have more viable evidence to support our hypothesis.)

=__**Conclusion**__= What we have noticed after doing this experiment was that the corals in the currents have done significantly better than those in the calmer waters. One reasonf or that may be that the current kept things from growing on the coral, thereby allowing it to grow better. If we were to do this project again there are a number of things that I would have our group do differently. The first thing would be insted of carving things onto the backside of the plugs I would try and make the plugs a different color or attach something that stands out amonge the other groups polyps. Another thing i would do is make sure all of the polyps that my group used started out the same size. That could have messed up the measurments for each of the days because they were all different sizes to start with. If we had stuck two of the current polyps to a larger object and placed them in the same place and conected the two calm poylps to a different object then it would not only have made it easier to find but it would have kept the other groups in our class and different classes from mistaking our polyps with theirs. Also, one of our corals was not well glued down and that coral did not do as well as the others. If we had thought of all of these changes before we did this project it would have made the experiment alot more accurate.

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