Grade 9 Science Journal Q1

The periodic table helps me understand elements in their simplest form – whether they are a metal or non-metal, gas or a solid, and their properties which will become important as they are combined.

My environmental concern is the Decline In The Bee Population.

The elements I believe may be connected to the decline in the bee population are lead(Pb), manganese(Mn),  zinc(Zn), copper(Cu),  cobalt(Co).

The reason I believe each of these elements are connected to the decline in the bee population are as follows:

Lead- Is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. lead can be found in all parts of our environment like air, soil, water and even our homes. In regions where there is a significant amount of lead in the air, it may land on the plant and adhere to the sticky surfaces of pollen. Bees collect both the contaminated pollen and nectar and transport it back to the hive.

Manganese- Is a  hard brittle silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy uses, particularly in stainless steels. Manganese is vital to human and animal life in metabolic functions. At levels considered safe for human food, a common industrial pollutant called manganese can knock honey bees off their game. A new study shows that when exposed to the metal, honey bees advance through age-related work assignments faster than normal, but complete fewer foraging trips than their unexposed sisters.

Zinc- Is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a silvery-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. Zinc is not found in its pure elemental form, but is found in minerals in the earth’s crust where it is about the 24th most abundant element. Small traces of zinc can be found in ocean water and the air. Minerals that are mined for zinc include sphalerite, smithsonite, hemimorphite, and wurtzite. In a hive environment, the metal coating may quickly oxidize and shed as a light-colored powdery substance very high in zinc. We know from experience that galvanized hardware cloth is frequently used in bee hives.

Copper- It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Over 50% of the World’s copper comes from chalcopyrite and bornite. Ore is first mined, then put through a series of processes to refine and purify the copper. Though the bees may not experience an alteration in foraging behavior, such as sucrose response thresholds, chronic exposure to copper may result in gradual accumulation within the animal and in the nest, resulting in a delayed toxic effect on foraging worker bees and the whole colony.

Cobalt-  Like nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth’s crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal.