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Fish and Oxygen

Fish and Oxygen

Think about what you know about the way fish breathe. They breathe through their gills. When they breathe, what do their bodies get out of the water? They get oxygen which is dissolved in the water. Just like land animals, fish need oxygen to survive.

Make a prediction

What do you think would happen to the number of different fish species found in Darby Creek if the amount of dissolved oxygen decreased? Would there be more species as the oxygen level decreased or would there be fewer species? Write your prediction below.

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Make another prediction

If we measured the oxygen at two different places on Darby Creek and found that one spot had less dissolved oxygen than another, what do you think you could predict about the number of fish species that would be found in each location? How would the number of fish species in one place compare with the number of fish in the second location with less dissolved oxygen.? Write your prediction below.

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Let's look at some measurements taken at Darby Creek which are stored in the computer to see if your predictions are accurate.

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