Question

You have a vial of Carchesium polypinum, a species of ciliates found in wastewater. You have just read that these protozoans produce a kind of mucus, which they secrete into the water. You wish to develop a laboratory model of wastewater treatment. As your model, you drop some India ink into a beaker of tap water and add a vial of ciliates. How might you apply your results to the effect of mucus on waste matter in water?

Answer 1

I understand that the mucus will make the ink particles stick together, but what is the second question asking? How might I apply what?

Answer 2

It is very awkwardly worded. I interpret it to mean, take what you observe in the experiment with the India ink and discuss what it means in context of real ciliates in a really polluted stream.

Answer 3

Alright. I'll try to apply what I can from it. Thanks for making that a little easier to understand.

Answer 4

And I really hope I didn't just send you down the wrong path.