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EcoColumnLab
YenaShellySuh

Horner
APEnvironmentalScience
Period5

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PURPOSE
ThepurposeoftheEcocolumnlabwastoobservetheinteractionbetweenspecieswithin
specifichabitatsataclosedistance.Ittakesdifferentaspectsofanenvironmentandplacesitin
anobservablesetting,creatingaveryusefullearningtoolforstudentsofscientificobservers.
Weareabletoseehowanecosystemthrivesorfailsthroughitschangesandresourcesavailable.
Thedownsidetothismethodofobservation,however,isthatisisverymeasuredandcontrolled,
anddoesnotreallyallowsomebodytoobservethedynamicsofanaturalecosystem.Inthereal
world,thingsareverysusceptibletochangeandunforeseeablecircumstances,andthose
elementsareremovedinacontrolledlab.Thestructurealsosomewhatseparatesthepossible
foodchainandspeciesinteractionbetweendifferingcolumns.Thisclosedsystemshutsout
aspectsoftherealworldthattrulymakeuptheworksofanecosystem.

HYPOTHESIS
ThetheoryweplacedbehindtheecocolumnlabwasthatanEcocolumnsystemmade
upofthree2litersodabottlescreatedaclosedenvironmentthatwasnotsusceptibletosustain
formsoflife.Therearenotenoughinteractingformsoflifeinthosesmallconfinedspacesto
replicatetheinteractionsanddevelopmentofspeciesintherealworld.Theexperimentisvery
manmadeandconstructed,anditisoftenmorethannot,thatecosystemsorenvironmentsthat
encounterhumaninterference,especiallywhenthepeopledonothaveproperknowledge,
becomedisturbedandencountermoresetbacksthatcreateadeclineinhealthofthespecificarea.
However,therearesomeaspectsofanecosystemthatcanthrivewithhelpfromhuman
interventionandbecausetheBettafishsfoodandwaterqualityisbeingmonitored,weare
enthusiasticthatthefishwillcontinuetolive.

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MATERIALS
Forthislab,thematerialsweusedtoconstructtheecocolumnwere:scissors,tape,
plastic2litersodabottles,filterpaper,andadrill(forairholes).IntheAquaticFlora/Fauna
chamber,abioticitemsweusedwereblacksandandwaterbioticitemsthatweplacedinthe
chamberarewaterplants(Amazonsword,duckweed,andanunidentifiedplant)andabettafish.
IntheTerrestrialchamber,soilandwaterareabioticmaterialsthatwereused,andredwiggler
worms,rolypolies,acricket,andaprovidedunidentifiedplantarebioticitemsweputin.The
Decompositionchamberhadsoil,twigs,leaves,andoldapplepeelsforabioticfactors,while
worms(likelymealworms)wereplacedinsideasthebioticorganisminthechamber.Our
ecosystemdidnothaveaPredator/Preychamber.Fortesting,weusedwatertestingtools,gloves,
goggles,aprons,andsyringesasmaterials.

PROCEDURE
Toconstructtheecocolumn,thefirstthingwedidwascutthetopoffofthree2liter
bottles,cutthebottomoffoftwoofthosethree,andcutthebottomoffoftwoother2liter
bottles.Wetookthebottlewiththetopcutoffandtapedoneofthebottleswithboththetopand
bottomofftocreateanextension.Astheteacherdrilledtheholesintotheconstructionforthe
Aquaticchamberweproceededtotapeanextensiontoabottlethathadthebottomcutoffforthe
Terrestrialchamberanddrilledholesintothecapforthatchamberaswell.Tosetuptheaquatic
chamberwegotblacksandforthebottomandbegantowashitout.Afterwardsweplacedthe
amazonswordwaterplantintothesandandsecuredit.Wefilleditwithwater,testedand
conditionedit,andplacedthebettafishinside.Thenweplacedtheprovidedwaterplants,
duckweedandtheunidentifiedone,asthelaststeptoconstructingtheAquaticchamber.Forthe

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terrestrialchamber,weplacedthefilterpaperintothebottom(thebottletopfacesdownwards)
andplacedsoilintothechamber.Weplottedtheprovidedplantintothesoilandsecuredit.After
wateringitweputintheredwrigglerworms,rolypolies,andcrickets.Tocreatethe
decompositionchamber,wedrilledoneholeintothecap,addedasmallamountofsoil,added
twigs,leaves,andfruitpeels,andaddedafewworms.Thenwetapedonabottompiecetothe
cuttoptoencloseit.Thenweputthedecompositionchamberontopoftheterrestrialchamber,
andtookthoseandstackeditovertheaquaticchamber.TocollectdataWecollecteddataforthe
waterqualitybytestingthedissolvedoxygen,temperature,pH,turbidity,nitrate,nitrite,and
CO2levels.Wealsorecordedtheplanthealthandodorbyobservation,andrecorded
observationsforallthreechambers.

DATACOLLECTION
Intheecocolumnecosystem,theproducersare:theplantintheterrestrialchamber,the
amazonswordwaterplant,andtheduckweed(thethirdwaterplantisexcludedbecauseour
ecosystemlostitwhenitwasknockedover).Theconsumersarethelivingorganismsthatcannot
maketheirownfoodwhich,withintheecosystem,are:thebettafish,theredwigglerworms,the
rolypolies,thecrickets,andtheworms(mostlikelymealworms)inthedecompositionchamber.
Thedecomposersarethetwigs,leaves,and
oldfruitpeelsinthedecompositionchamber.
Awatercycleiseminentintheterrestrial
chamber.Thewateroriginallyusedtowater
theplantinthechamberrises(transpires)from

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evaporation,butbecauseitisblockedoffatthetopitcondensesinthebottleandgoesbackinto
thesoilkeepingitwellwatered.

TerrestrialFloraChamberAquaticFlora/FaunaChamberAquaticFlora/Fauna(birdseyeview)

Cricket(TerrestrialChamberConsumer)RolyPoly(TerrestrialChamberConsumer)

RedWigglerWorm(TCC)

AquaticFlora/Faunachamberwaterconditiondata

Tests

DO

Temp pH
(c)

Turbidity Nitrate

Nitrite CO2

Plant
Health

Odor
none

Week1 6.57 27

6.77

8.1

healthy

Week2 n/a

23

n/a

n/a

smallspots slight
odor

Week3 7

24

7.5

9.2

17

droopy

strong

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Week4 2

23

19.8

20

halfdead

strong

Week5 8

22

7.5

17

15

healthier

strong

Week6 5

23

7.5

39

11

somewhat
healthy

strong

6weekdataNitratelinegraph6weekdataCO2linegraph

ANALYSIS
Apossibleparallelwithinthespanseofourecocolumnlabistheeventthattranspiredin
thefirst/secondweek.Ourecocolumnhadbeenknockedover,whichleftourecosystem
wrecked.Asimilaroccurrenceintherealworldwouldbecalledanaturaldisasterordisturbance
whichwouldinitiatesecondarysuccession(cannotbeprimarybecauseorganismsarestill
present).Thedifferencebetweenanintherealworldandthisincidenthowever,isthatina
naturalsetting,successionwouldtakeplace,butinsteadthelostmaterialsandorganismswere,
forthemostpart,replaced.Thisissomewhatrepresentativeintherolethathumansoccassionally
takeoninnature,whenhumaninterferenceisnecessarytokeepahabitatfromdeterioratingdue
totherolethathumansoriginallyhadintakingawaynecessaryresourceswithinthathabitat.I
believethatthedeteriorationoftheplantandorganismlifewithinthesegregatedchambers
relaysthattheunnaturalseparationofspeciesandorganisms,likewehaddoneinthelab,speaks

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foritself.Thelabwasagoodtoolforobservationandlearning,butintermsoftherealworld,a
manmeasuredandcontrolledenvironmentdoesnotallowforthenaturalcourseoflifethat
balancesecosystemsandallowsorganismstothrive.Likethemanmadeislands,theunnatural
interferenceandcircumstancesleadtoahorridenvironmentwhereeverything,eventhetrees,
hadtofighttosurviveratherthanexistinginanaturallythrivingecosystem.Humanerrorissuch
acommonoccurrencethatweareconstantlythrowingthingsoutofproperproportion.Aswe
wereconstructingourecosystem,weaccidentallyoverwateredtheplantintheterrestrial
chamberwhichcausedafastdeteriorationoftheplantlifewithin.Thisalsoledtoleakinginto
theaquaticchamberbelow,addingunwantedelementsintothewaterandalsodidnotallow
oxygentoproperlytravelupfromtheaquaticchambertotheterrestrialchamber.Thenatural
elementsofsunlightandplantlifehelpedclearupthewaterasweekswentonbuthuman
interferencewasnecessarytoaddoxygenintotheaquaticchamberduetothelackofit.
Eventually,theplantlifeandsunlightweregrowingwellenoughtokeepthewaterfullof
oxygen.Theterrestrialchamberquicklydeteriorated,leavingorganismswithinseemsomewhat
lifeless.Bytheendofthelabthecricketwasdeadandtheonlyvisibleactiveorganismswere
therolypolies.Eventhesmallwhitebugsthatformedaroundthesecondandthirdweek,that
werethrivinginthefourthandfifthweek,weregone.Thedecompositionchamberwasalso
seeminglylifeless.Thefruitscrapsandleavesslowlymulcheddownandgrewawhite,sprinkled
moldthatlasteduntiltheendofthelab.Thewormsthatweputintothechamberwerealldead
bythe6thweek.Sothoughtheaquaticchambersurvived,theterrestrialanddecomposition
chambershadno,orlittlesurvivingorganisms.Ibelievethatthemainreasonthattheaquatic
chamberproperlygrewwhiletheothersdidnotwasthemonitoringandtheamountofhuman

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interferenceofthecolumn.Iftheaquaticchamberwasleftaloneastheterrestrialchamberwas,
theorganismswithinlikelywouldhavediedbytheendofthelab.Anecosystemthatisas
manmadeastheecocolumnrequiresjustasmuchassistancetohelpmakesureitsurvives.The
terrestrialchamberanddecompositionchamberwereleftalonethewaytheywereconstructed,
leavingnosupporttoproperlythriveoroperate.
CONCLUSION
Beingabletoobservetheinteractionsbetweenspeciesandorganismswithinthislab
taughtthecorrelationbetweenecosystemsineachcolumnandhowelementsofanenvironment
comeintoplay.Ilearnedthathumaninterferencecanbedeadlyorhelpful,butinformationfound
mustbeusedtohelpthoseecosystemssurvive,asweshouldinreallifewithnaturalbiomesand
ecosystems.Extensiveresearchontheenvironmentwoulddefinitelybeusefulinfiguringout
howwecanhelpourworldcontinuetothriveandproperlyoperate.

SOURCESOFERROR
ThroughouttheEcoColumnLab,weexperiencedavarietyoferrorsandmalfunctions.
Thefirstmistakewemadewasoverwateringtheplantintheterrestrialflorachamber.A
somewhatlargersetbackwasthat,duringthefirst/secondweekofthelab,membersofanother
classperiodknockedoverourecosystem,resultinginalossofanumberoforiginalorganisms,
suchastheprovidedplantlifeandtheoriginalduckweedorganismsplacedintheaquatic
flora/faunachamberaswellasthewater.Thissetbackrequiredelementstobereplaced,butdue
totimeconstraintsthesenewlyaddedresourceswerenotproperlytestedorrecorded.Mistakes
werealsolikelymadeduringthewatertestingsastheprocesstoacquireforsomethingslikethe
CO2levelswereslightlychallengingtofollow,likelyresultingininaccuratedatalevels.

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