This lab uses freshwater sponges as model organisms to examine the biological effects of water pollution. Specifically, the focus of this laboratory module is on the effects that chemicals of environmental concern (., endocrine disrupters) have on sponge growth and development. Contamination of aquatic ecosystems is a serious issue in environmental science. Identifying which chemicals we should be concerned with, and determining the consequences of contamination by specific compounds, is a major area of current research. Undergraduates are constantly exposed to news of environmental deterioration, yet few have an idea of how bioassays can.
