Introduction:
The purpose of this experiment was to create a model of a self sustaining ecosystem for simulation. The eco column is a small model of the ecosystem and is a closed system. Most of the things that happen inside of the eco column will be similar, but there will always be outside factors which will not be taken into account. The goals of this experiment was to study the connections between the chambers and how they will affect the results. Each chamber in the eco column had a specific purpose and the success of the eco column was depended on the chambers’ cooperation. The ecocolumn being a smaller scale of the real thing, the presence of biotic components is low compared to a real life ecosystem which would contain various different types of flora and fauna. The lab requires us to measure the pH level to see how acidic or alkaline the water is on a scale of 0-14. Lastly certain variables such as room temperature and human changes need to be controlled.
Hypotheses:
If all the columns work together, the biotic components will be healthy. They must all provide each other the essential aspects for the eco column to be …show more content…
The temperature was expected to be stable, and it did at 20.5 Celsius. The temperature of the ecocolumn was mostly based off of our room temperature, which was fairly consistent because the measurement always occurred around the same time of the day. The normal pH level is 7 and our results were all around the benchmark of 7, with our average being 7.01. We noticed that although there was turbidity with our water, it did not change the pH level because the cause was due to the waste dripping from the decomposition chamber. We noticed the plant grow throughout the experiment. Although the plant was growing, the dissolved oxygen levels stayed relatively the same except for a sudden drop in the 11/16 measurement which might have some correlation with the temperature
The purpose of this experiment was to create a model of a self sustaining ecosystem for simulation. The eco column is a small model of the ecosystem and is a closed system. Most of the things that happen inside of the eco column will be similar, but there will always be outside factors which will not be taken into account. The goals of this experiment was to study the connections between the chambers and how they will affect the results. Each chamber in the eco column had a specific purpose and the success of the eco column was depended on the chambers’ cooperation. The ecocolumn being a smaller scale of the real thing, the presence of biotic components is low compared to a real life ecosystem which would contain various different types of flora and fauna. The lab requires us to measure the pH level to see how acidic or alkaline the water is on a scale of 0-14. Lastly certain variables such as room temperature and human changes need to be controlled.
Hypotheses:
If all the columns work together, the biotic components will be healthy. They must all provide each other the essential aspects for the eco column to be …show more content…
The temperature was expected to be stable, and it did at 20.5 Celsius. The temperature of the ecocolumn was mostly based off of our room temperature, which was fairly consistent because the measurement always occurred around the same time of the day. The normal pH level is 7 and our results were all around the benchmark of 7, with our average being 7.01. We noticed that although there was turbidity with our water, it did not change the pH level because the cause was due to the waste dripping from the decomposition chamber. We noticed the plant grow throughout the experiment. Although the plant was growing, the dissolved oxygen levels stayed relatively the same except for a sudden drop in the 11/16 measurement which might have some correlation with the temperature