An Understanding Of Biogeochemical Cycles Lab Report

An Understanding Of Biogeochemical Cycles Lab Report Introduction/PurposeThe purpose of this eco-column activity was to have a more in depth understanding of how biogeochemical cycles and different populations contribute to the health of their habitat in the real world and see how everything is connected. Everything that a basic habitat has can be seen in this eco-column such as plants, water, soil, producers, primary consumers, decomposers, and detritus feeders. All of these organisms, including biogeochemical cycles contribute to the sustainability of their habitat, with the water cycle being the most visible of all of these cycles. This is an excellent tool in understanding ecology because it is a very close, in depth analysis of what can occur in a particular habitat and how it affects other habitats. For example, going back to the water cycle example, water could visibly be seen going through evaporation and condensation. The interior of the soil and decomposition chambers would be humid with water droplets surrounding the plastic, which ensured that water would be recycled. A person would not be able to see this in the real world, as real world habitats are too massive to observe without special equipment. HypothesisSome of the basic principles of ecology that I expected to see in this eco-column are the interactions between the organisms and their habitats for sustainability. Such as interactions in the aquatic chamber due to the abundance of organisms in that particular habitat, so they were easily monitored. The fish and algae working together to make sure that the habitat was kept intact and suitable for life. The plant providing the consumers with purified water, as well as a steady food supply.I expect this chamber to essentially show us how the plants benefit the consumers and how the consumers benefit the plants; a mutualistic relationship. MethodsDate Started-9/18/2019 To make your eco-column, out of the five bottles you must cut the top of two bottle using an exacto knife. With one of those two cut bottles, cut one of the bottles bottom half. The other three existing bottles will have only their bottoms cut off.With two of your bottle caps, you must punch holes into them to provide a flow of air (oxygen), so you will do this in the terrestrial chamber. The second bottle cap is to have several holes lined with filter paper. (Decomposition chamber)Your bottom bottle (aquatic chamber) should be filled with water, slowly pour water in about 3/4 of the way up , near the top of this bottle, above the water, cut out 3 sides of a square with the exacto knife, so that is acts as a door to allow for testing.Attach this second bottle (decomposition chamber) to the aquatic chamber with tape. Fill your bottle with a mix of soil and compost ( more compost than soil) next put a few worms as well. Attach this third bottle (terrestrial chamber) to the decomposition chamber with tape. Dump some soil into the bottle about half way and add 3 to 4 plant seeds.Over a period of five weeks perform the following tests: turbidity, temperature, pH, nitrates and dissolved oxygen. Adding all of this data into a journal/organized data table, while also recording new things that you are noticing, such as plant growth in the terrestrial layer or the health of the animals. My ecocolumn is a closed system therefore I will be putting a lid on top. Date Ended-10/25/2019 ResultsAfter the first week, the temperature of the water was 20 degrees Celsius. The Nitrate and Nitrite levels were safe,the PH was also ideal, and the TRB was clear. In the decomposition chamber, white mold appeared to have grown. Finally, in the soil chamber the plants had sprouted and were very strong. After the second week, the temperature of the water rose to 21 degrees Celsius. The Nitrate and Nitrite levels remained safe.The PH stayed the same but the TRB started getting foggy.In the decomposition chamber it was very damp and moist. The white mold had become more abundant. In the soil chamber, the air appeared to have been very humid, but that had no effect on the plants because they continued to grow nice and strong, along with the soil that was very healthy.After the third week, the temperature dropped to 19 degrees Celsius. The TRB levels remained the same, The pH level was the only one that changed to acceptable. Also in the aquatic chamber the fish was doing well.The decomposition chamber looked very damp and brown and the soil seemed wet. In the soil chamber the plants looked like they had been watered too much, and we noticed that they were dying. Also, white mold had started to grow on the plants.After the fourth week, the temperature of the water rose again to 20 degrees Celsius. The TRB had actually gotten better. I also noticed that in the aquatic chamber the water seemed to look yellow/murky, but the plants and fish looked well. The decomposition chamber looked dead and dark brown. The plants seemed to be rotten, and milldue grew. Although, the worms were still alive. The soil chamber also looked dead. Our once green plants looked completely dead and brown. In the beginning of the fifth week which was the final week my fish had passed away and the algae was also dead. The PH level and TBR remained constant.The aquatic chamber smelled after the fish died, the decomposition chamber remained the same but in the terrestrial chamber my plants died as well. Table # 1 PH LevelsWeek 1 7 7 7 6 6 Week 2 6 7 7 6 7 Week 3 7 7 7 7 7 Week 4 7 7 6 7 7 Week 5 6 6 7 7 7 Discussion1.Changes in the aquatic chamber happened mostly because of lack of being taken care of. the fish died within the fourth week because the fish's capability to adapt to the new living condition was weak, or maybe the fish was already weak. The water also remained pretty clear up until the final week when it turned yellowish which could be because the water wasn't frequently cleaned which really polluted our water.Not many changes appeared in the decomposition chamber besides the growth of mold. The soil was very damp throughout all four weeks which is because we had water the chamber below which was connected to the decomposition chamber.The plants appeared to be growing strong at first which is because most air passed on from the other chambers acted as a source to moist soil. After a while the plants began to rot and white mold appeared. 2. My water quality seems pretty stable.Water quality is determined by the presence of contaminants, physical and chemical factors such as pH and TRB.The pH and TRB was stable throughout the experiment. 3.Similar trends that I noticed in between me and my partner was that our water was very yellowish. I also noticed that our worms were alive but could not be seen throughout the whole lab. Throughout my classmates eco-column I noticed that people with rocks had pretty clear water then the people without rocks and sand. 4.To compare my data I chose my friends Ariba and Leshay. My fish had died so that was a difference in our eco-column because they’re fish survived. We all had some type of yellowness in our aquatic chamber but the main difference I noticed was that my algae had died meanwhile they’re algae looked pretty fresh and was growing. 5. Looking at the data I collected, I have come to the conclusion that my hypothesis was not supported. The fish and algae were not working together after a few weeks because the algae would not grow and eventually died.The plant was not able to provide the consumers with purified water, as well as a steady food supply. 6.I had a closed chamber which caused all the chambers to be linked together. 7. To make it more like a closed system you could poke one hole and use a long straw to help keep it “closed” instead of poking many holes in each cap. 8.A source of error may be the algae not growing causing the fish to not have a good food supply. ConclusionAt the end of our experimenting it was safe to say that our Eco-Column was a success. All organisms contributed to their habitats and biogeochemical cycles were visible. This enabled a self sustaining and functioning ecosystem within our EcoColumn. This lab has shown how environments of both living and nonliving organisms are both connected through the biogeochemical cycles. This not only allows us to visually see what occurs in these environments, but it gives a person a better understanding as to how we could maintain these environments in healthier and more functioning ways in a larger community. The importance of the information we gathered will allow scientists and people expand their research towards limiting impact of humans on ecosystems (pollution, chemical run-off, oil spills, etc). Our Eco-Column allowed us to create and observe how to maintain a sustainable ecosystem, this will result in preserving our earth more efficiently. We will be able to uphold its eminence.