After completing this project over a period of five weeks, making observations and running tests on the water in the aquatic chamber, a lot could be learned about ecosystems since given the opportunity to observe one up close for five. The water in the aquatic chamber remained clear throughout the first week. The coffee filter in the decomposition lid must have been effective because up until about the fifth contaminants were not evident in the aquatic chamber, and the water remained clear up until that final week. The plants had begun to germinate, and they grew by an inch at the end of the first week. The apples had also begun to decompose, sporting white fuzz by the end of the week. The temperature of the water was 21˚C and 27˚C the two
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Condensation was evident at the top of the bottle, and so were water droplets (which, of course, was precipitation). During the first week of the experiment, the test results were as follows: dissolved oxygen – 14 ppm, Nitrates (NO3) – 0 ppm, PO4 (Phosphate) – 200 (light blue color), pH – 7.5, and Total Alkalinity - 80. 7 milliliters of water were poured into the ecosystem daily. During the first week, there were three bugs that lived and died in the ecosystem (but one escaped unharmed) – two grasshoppers and a praying mantis. The first day of putting together the experiment a bug was present, a grasshopper named Hopper. After putting the grasshopper in, the bottle was accidentally shaken and he was buried alive underneath the soil. The grasshopper might have had a broken leg, also, and he was found dead the next day. Another grasshopper was retrieved, but he died too. This grasshopper, when he was put in, fell down the straw leading into decomposition chamber. The grasshopper was put in the bottle in the morning and he was unable to get out until the end of the day. He died the next day. The next day, one of the group members – Brandon – found a praying mantis near the school and brought him …show more content…
By this point, the plants were fine (and still growing) but they were unable to stand upright. The plants had grown two inches during this second week. The water in the aquatic chamber was only slightly cloudy, but it was still clear. The cloudiness might have had something to do with the amount of food put into the aquatic chamber for the fish, so the amount of food we put in there was reduced the following weeks. The water cycle was evident, with condensation at the top of the bottle and little droplets in the top of the aquatic chamber. There were also tiny air bubbles along the surface of the water in the aquatic chamber, which shows that there was oxygen being generated from the aquatic plant in the water. The apples were decomposing well. By the end of the second week, the apples had dark green mold forming on them and also had a light layer of white fuzz on top of the green mold. The Katydid had passed away in the middle of the week, though, so there was no longer a bug in the terrestrial chamber. The katydid had plenty to eat in its chamber (there were edible leaves for it to eat), and it had an airway in the bottle chain. The death might have had something to do with the mold on the apples, especially since there is a straw leading directly from the terrestrial chamber down into the decomposition chamber so the Katydid was directly exposed to the mold.
Condensation was evident at the top of the bottle, and so were water droplets (which, of course, was precipitation). During the first week of the experiment, the test results were as follows: dissolved oxygen – 14 ppm, Nitrates (NO3) – 0 ppm, PO4 (Phosphate) – 200 (light blue color), pH – 7.5, and Total Alkalinity - 80. 7 milliliters of water were poured into the ecosystem daily. During the first week, there were three bugs that lived and died in the ecosystem (but one escaped unharmed) – two grasshoppers and a praying mantis. The first day of putting together the experiment a bug was present, a grasshopper named Hopper. After putting the grasshopper in, the bottle was accidentally shaken and he was buried alive underneath the soil. The grasshopper might have had a broken leg, also, and he was found dead the next day. Another grasshopper was retrieved, but he died too. This grasshopper, when he was put in, fell down the straw leading into decomposition chamber. The grasshopper was put in the bottle in the morning and he was unable to get out until the end of the day. He died the next day. The next day, one of the group members – Brandon – found a praying mantis near the school and brought him …show more content…
By this point, the plants were fine (and still growing) but they were unable to stand upright. The plants had grown two inches during this second week. The water in the aquatic chamber was only slightly cloudy, but it was still clear. The cloudiness might have had something to do with the amount of food put into the aquatic chamber for the fish, so the amount of food we put in there was reduced the following weeks. The water cycle was evident, with condensation at the top of the bottle and little droplets in the top of the aquatic chamber. There were also tiny air bubbles along the surface of the water in the aquatic chamber, which shows that there was oxygen being generated from the aquatic plant in the water. The apples were decomposing well. By the end of the second week, the apples had dark green mold forming on them and also had a light layer of white fuzz on top of the green mold. The Katydid had passed away in the middle of the week, though, so there was no longer a bug in the terrestrial chamber. The katydid had plenty to eat in its chamber (there were edible leaves for it to eat), and it had an airway in the bottle chain. The death might have had something to do with the mold on the apples, especially since there is a straw leading directly from the terrestrial chamber down into the decomposition chamber so the Katydid was directly exposed to the mold.