What is LIAT?

LIAT is a set of 50ml plastic tubes in which students can a grow a population of algae and manipulate abiotic variables (e.g. presence/absence of stormwater runoff, nutrient concentration, light, temperature) and biotic variables (e.g. presence/absence of grazers, presence/absence of predators, densities of competitors) in a way that is controlled and replicated yet still represents the ecology of freshwater lakes.  Data on algae population density are collected by a variety of methods and can be tailored to the learning goals and available resources by the instructor.  Contained within each tube are: green algae (Raphidocelis subcapitata), diluted growth media (COMBO) (Kilham et al., 1998), and additional aquatic solutions and organisms as necessary.