This area is located under the bridge.

It is considered the most disturbed for it is

nearest to houses and people.
Three sites were chosen along the 7km Balingasay River in Bolinao, Pangasinan.
Site A, N 1619.442, E 11952.883, Site B N 1618.350, E 11952.900, and Site C
N 1613.336, E 11952.900. Water depth, salinity, and temperature were recorded
for every site. Site A which has a water depth of 0.94 is the shallowest and has the
lowest temperature of 29 Deg. Celsius. This site is nearest to Bolinao Water Falls
and planktons were also obtained in a part of the area. Site B with a water depth of
4.94, was recorded with the highest temperature of 32 Deg Celsius accounted for
life beneath where plankton samples were obtained while the deepest site was Site
C with a temperature of 31 Deg Celsius. This area is located near the bridge. It is
considered the most disturbed for it is nearest to houses and people. All sites have
~1.000% salinity. Salinity was measured with use of the hydrometer. This may be
due to nearness in the saltwater. Temperature affects photosynthesis and nutrients
in the habitat. Moreover, water transparency was obtained with the use of Secchi
disk submerged in water. Sites A, B, C, has the averaged transparency of 0.41 m,
2.09 m, and 2.35 m respectively. These results may not be considered accurate due
to errors like sun glares and difference in eyesight. Transparency varied along the
river and may account for nutrient cycling. Also, water velocity which measures the
magnitude and direction of water flow was measured with the use of a plastic bottle
by observing its direction brought by the water current. Although velocities were
obtained from the same river, water velocities from different sites varied. Site A
water velocity is 0.1016 m/s while Site B water velocity is 0.2097 m/s. Site C water
velocity was not recorded. Velocity varies from site to site due to some factors like
nearness to the water falls, water depth, and biodiversity in the area. The
hypotenuse where the direction of the bottle goes was recorded. From the data
measured and obtained, only certain group of organisms can thrive in the
freshwater ecosystem. Our group obtained planktons and grouped these according
to taxonomic order, sex, and age. () ..in order, (). In order, . Finally, from the
line transect method, representative plants and animals were quantified and some
were identified. Although most were not ID, four kinds of plants, two insects and a
certain species of fishes (TNTC) were recorded.

Freshwater ecosystems are ecologically important, housing thousands of species

(Collen, 2014). From the results and observations, these ecosystems are highly
connected. All factors and variables are correlated to each other, most importantly,
giving an idea to the kind of living organism that thrives in it. According to the data
recorded, little diversity has been found in Balingasay River. Furthermore, all of data
observed and obtained have high importance to many ecological activities in the
ecosystem.

References:
Collen et al (January 2014) Global patterns of freshwater species diversity, threat and
endemism Global Ecology and Biogeography