Biome Project

The Enviroment

The environment for an eco-friendly biome must be composed of everything that all the plants and animals need to survive interdependently which includes fresh water, an artificial light source, shelter, and edible plants and berries. The Biome shall have a temperate climate, so as to encompass many different organisms, food chains and niches. The temperature shall be kept constant by the series of heaters and air conditioning, kept in control by a computer. The terrian of the biome shall be mostly flat, such as a plain, occasionally rising into small hills. Human needs, such as shelter, food, water and air, shall be taken care of on a lower level, with access to the upper biome for food and water. At the top of the Biome, pointing towards the sun, will be a port through which trash will be hurled through and toward the sun.

• Biome

Edible Berries

Interactions amongst the Biome's organisms

In the Biome, the food web will start with the artifical light source, which will have its powered supplied from the solar panels. The light will then be used by our producer organisms (grass, trees, wheat, a variety of fruit, flowers, corn). At which point, primary consumers, such as squirrels, chipmunks, cows, hummingbirds, and chickens. Certain organisms, including corn,chickens, fruits, and cows, will then either be eaten, or produce a substance (such as cow's milk) that will be consumed by humans, thus putting humans at both primary and secondary consumers. Whenever any these organisms die, and are left unused for humans, they will be consumed by worms. Worms are decomposers, meaning that they break down the remains of other organisms, and thus both clean the biome floor and fertilize the soil for future use by plants. In doing this, they are both primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers.

Plants and Animals

In the Biome, there will be a variety of organisms. Some plants it shall have are corn, wheat, fruit, grass, and trees. The species of tree chosen for the Biome are Bur oak s(Quercus macrocarpa), because they are long-lived, and are tolerant of different soil types and temperatures*. Along with these plants, animals such as the squirrel, the chipmunk, the hummingbird, the cow, the chicken, and the human being shall inhabit the Biome. The breed of cow chosen for the Biome is the Jersey cow, because, as a milk cow, this breed is unparalelled, and thus the best choice for providing for the human need of milk (Oklaholma State University). The breed of chicken best for the Biome is the Leghorn chicken, one of the most popular in the U.S., because it is rarley broody, and notable for good egg production (Oklaholma State University). For the hummingbird species, the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilouchus colubris) is considered optimal.

*http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quemac/all.html#GeneralBotanicalCharacteristics

Source of Energy

The Water Cycle in the Biome

In the Biome, we will have to recreate the water cycle. When the Biome is launched, it shall carry several thousand gallons of water, which will be recycled in the process of the water cycle. When the water evaporates from lakes, puddles, or from living organisms, it will rise in a gasous form up to the celing of the Biome, where it will form clouds. As the clouds fill with water, they will eventually rain down onto the ground, where it the process begins once more. Because we must care for the water needs of the fifty people who will not be living in the biome with the animals and plants (aside from occasional visits for food or progress tracking) we must include a water filtration system, which will be connected to all pipes, and filter and recycle all waste water.

Our dome will use solar energy to power itself, in a similar fashion of the International Space Station. The ISS is powered with 8 solar arrays, each 273 meters long in order to produce 84 kilowatts of electrical power*. Thus, we feel at least 12 solar array's of the same size will be able to power the Biome.

*

*http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/onthestation/facts_and_figures.html