ISSC 2011 – Venezia: Environment and Chemistry

Chemistry and Organisms in the Venetian Lagoon.

Knowing that a lagoon often presents shits in salinity, the students checked whether there was a connection between the salinity in the water and the distribution of organisms. During a day-long excursion with an expert of Cooperativa Limosa, some water samples were analysed and the students observed the adaptations of plants and animals. Artemisia coerulesens, Salicornia fructicosa and Salicornia veneta are interesting examples of halophilic plants, with different adaptations to salinity. The latter is autochthonous, an endemic species of the Venetian Lagoon. Other chemical analysis were carried out both on field and in the school lab highligthing the relation between organisms and other physical and chemical charachteristics.