How is the physical appearance of

four species of plants affected in

contaminated water?
ESS Internal Assessment – Proposal / Draft

James Priyatna / 11L / Block

Candidate Number
Tunas Muda Meruya
04/18/2023
Note:
1. This cover page will be used for IA proposal & draft.
This should not be included in the page number. Final IA will not require full
name/class/block/school/submission date, it will be replaced with word count.
2. File name to be used when uploading to managebac

● May24-002606-Reina-ESS-SL-IA (for proposal and draft)

● May24-002606-0030-ESS-SL-IA (for final IA)

3. Formatting

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4. IA Proposals

● IA proposal template will follow the same format from Context to Planning.
● Keep IA proposals short and concise.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTEXT

Research Question 3

Theory

Environmental Issue

Related research

Hypothesis

PLANNING

Variables

Apparatus & Material

Methodology

Sampling Justification

Ethical Consideration / Risk

Assessment

RESULT, ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

Result

Quantitative Data

Qualitative Data

Processed Data

Graphing

Analysis

Conclusion

DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION

Evaluation of conclusion with

environmental issue

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 Evaluation of Methodology

Strength and Weakness of Methods

Suggestion for Weakness

Suggestion for Methodology Modification

APPLICATION

Application to Environmental Issue

Strength and Weakness of

Application

Suggestion for Weaknesses

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

I. CONTEXT

● RESEARCH QUESTION

“How are the physical appearance of four species of plants affected in contaminated
water?”

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● THEORY

Freshwater plants are amongst one of the many biological species that’s within the waters of
the earth. However, they are amongst one of the most clearly and physically affected
biological entities affected by the contamination of water. As seen in how some species
begin to physically decay after being exposed to contaminated water for some time.

My theory is that after a certain amount of time, the four freshwater species that we
choose; the Elodea Densa, Red Ludwigia, Marimo Ball and Duckweed will begin to have their
appearance change negatively, may it be in the form of withering or colour changes, due to
the introduction of contaminants in their waters.

● ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

Water pollution is one of the few forms of pollution that is about as old as time. But has
gotten worse with the modern era as modern corporations and governments are
incentivised in one way or another to dump chemicals and contaminants in the water. Due
to this however, water pollution often has adverse effects on local freshwater species; may
they be plants or animals and are often the source of untold amounts of suffering.

According to Medical News Today, water pollution also has an adverse effect on local
communities which can result in long-term health risks. Often more than not, communities
that rely on contaminated water sources also have shorter life-spans and are at larger risk of
outbreaks of diseases.

● RELATED RESEARCH

My experiment would essentially show that water pollution isn’t as invisible as we think. To
most people, water pollution is something that can be dismissed; “What’s a few dead fishes”
some may say due to the resilience of other species. However, with us seeing how the
appearance of some waterborne plants change; it could prove to be a decent way to show
that there are indeed physical changes to these plants.

● HYPOTHESIS

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 My hypothesis is that, if the plants begin to wither and decay after a prolonged period of
time. Then it is evidence that water pollution is more than just changes to the Ph levels but
changes to the living conditions for creatures within the water and around it.

II. PLANNING

● VARIABLES

Independent variable – Pollution levels are our independent variable as we can control the
amount of pollutants, in this case a detergent that will be put within the water. We can
control it for each experiment and the amount added per day.
Dependent Variable – The dependent variable in this case would be the physical appearance
and the health of the plant. Which is something we can control through the amount of
pollutants that are within the water.
Controlled Variables – how and why variables are controlled, provide a table
Controlled Variable Why is it controlled? How is it controlled?
1. Pollution Levels To affect the appearance Measuring the amount of
of the plants. pollutants we add before
starting the experiment.
2. Appearance of the To see what sort of result See above.
Plants we could receive.

● APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

- Commercial grade detergent, preferably 500 ml’s.

- Measuring apparatus, any form.
- 4 species of freshwater plants.
- A water tank.

● METHODOLOGY

- Prepare the water tank at day one.

- Put in the species of plants.
- Measure the amount of detergent added prior to beginning the experiment.
- Monitor the health and changes of the plant overtime.
- Maintain the tank and plants to keep a semi-natural environment.
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● SAMPLING JUSTIFICATION

The reason why I choose the physical appearance is cause I would be lacking the ability to
justify adjusting the Ph levels of the tank or spending anymore money on an experiment.
Due to this, I chose the physical appearance as considering the amount of time we have; its
something that I can measure a lot more easily and can note down physically better.

● ETHICAL CONSIDERATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT

Ethically and risk wise, its probably really just up to my personal hygiene when it comes to
personal risk. As long as I wash myself off after and use proper protective equipment, I won’t
be putting detergent in my mount accidentally. Ethically, depending on your beliefs, some
people may think I’m harming a living and breathing creature but that’s about it.