Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
Ecosystem in a Jar
4
Ecosystem in a Jar
Report by Annaliese
Overview
My Plan
This was my original plan for the jar. It was an attempt to recreate the land ecosystem of Bain Park, on a much smaller scale of course. My hypothesis was If I add 10 spring tails to my jar, then the plant life and consumers will flourish because the spring tails will eat the dead leaves, allowing for healthier plants and more food for the consumers.
Original Population
Part of planning the jar was deciding how many of each organism to include in the jar.
Pill bugs(Armadillidiidae) - 3
Spring tails(Collembola)- roughly 10 (they are hard to see and get exact number)
Clover Plants(trefoil) - 2
Penny wort Plant(Centella asiatica) - 2
Earthworms(Lumbricina) - 8
This project was very unique compared to some of the projects I have done in the past. It was a lot of fun to get to go to the park and learn about nature through interactive experiences. I didn't encounter too many issues with this project, besides the messiness and having to touch the bugs to put them in the jar. What suprised me the most was that my pillbugs were thriving for a while and within a few days all three of them dissappeared. I was also not expecting the planst to grow and be as successful as they were.
Looking Back
One of the last pictures of my jar.
Pictures
These are some of the pictures form the set-up (Top row), as well as some before (bottom left) and after (bottom right).
Clouds
Water Cycle
This is the diagram of the water cycle in my jar. Click on the different terms to learn more!
Pill Bug
Clover plant
Puddle
Water is absorbed through the plant's roots.
Plant roots
Evaporation
This is the process where water changes its state of matter and evaporates from a liquid state to a gas/vapor state. This happens when it is exposed to high temperatures. In this case the water in the puddle evaporated, becoming a vapor, and traveled to the atmosphere.
Precipitation
Most people call this rain. It is the process where water is released from the clouds and is pulled to the earth's surface by gravity. Depending on the climate this precipitation could be rain, snow,sleet, or hail.
Transpiration
This process occurs in the leaves of a plant and happens during photosynthesis. During the process of photosynthesis water is created as a by-product. It is then released through the leaves and evaporated into the atmosphere through transpiration.
This part of the water cycle is a great example of how water not only moves through the atmosphere, but organisms as well! Most organisms on earth need water to survive and the water they drink cycles through both them and the water cycle. As you can see plants play a big role in this cycle and even alter the course of it.
Condensation
This is the process where water vapor goes from a gas state back to a liquid state. It can occur when the air is cooled to dew point or it is so saturated that it can no longer hold anymore water vapor.
Fun Fact! Clouds are actually made of condensed water vapor and when it becomes toe heavy it rains! (which we will cover next)
Overview
Sunlight energy being absorbed by the plants
Carbon Atom
Carbon is one of, if not, the most important element on earth. All life on earth is carbon based and the very cycles are bodies go through to stay alive require carbon atoms. My jar is a perfect example of this and this diagram represents how carbon was cycled through my jar. Click on the different terms to learn more!
Carbon Cycles
Photosynthesis
Respiration
O2 taken in by pill bug
Clover Plant
Penny Wort Plant
Pill bug
Earthworm
Roots
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process by which autotrophs, or producers, make glucose for food. They use sunlight energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and in the process release water and oxygen as by-products. The diagram shows the plant taking in the carbon and the sunlight which it will use.
Cellular Respiration
After photosynthesis, the glucose has to be broken down into usable energy for the organism. This why cellular respiration takes place. It is one of the most important life cycles because it gives cells the energy they need to function and stay alive.
Respiration
Consumption
This is just the scientific word for eating, which is another way carbon can be cycled through this ecosystem. Since consumers like the pill bug can't make their own energy they need to get it by eating other organisms and producers are a great source of energy.
Consumption
Defecation
Though it may be gross, pooping is a natural thing. It is a way for bodies to get rid of the things they don't need and helps them to stay healthy.
Defecation
Decomposition
This is the process by which dead organisms are broken down and the matter is recycled back into the ecosystem. This is usually done by detrivores and decomposers like the earthworm in the diagram. Since most organism are very complex decomposition is important because it breaks them down into simpler matter like carbon dioxide, simple sugars, water, etc. Without this process the ground would be covered in dead stuff!
Most people know that during photosynthesis glucose is made using sunlight energy, water, and carbon dioxide. But it is a lot more complex than that. Learn more about the actual process in the slides ahead!
Photosynthesis
How it Works
First, carbon dioxide is taken in through the stomata on the leaves of the plant.
Once inside, photosynthesis begins in the chloroplast of the cell. Chloroplast are unique to plant cells, along with a cell wall. Another interesting fact about plant cells is they are eukaryote, which means that they have a distinct nucleus! On the other hand, prokaryotes are cells that don't have a defined nucleus.
Inside the chloroplast you will find photosystems 1 and 2. This is where the plant uses the sunlight energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Photosystem 2 is used first and extracts photons from the water molecules separating the hydrogen and oxygen molecules and releasing O2 into the atmosphere as a by-product. Then photosystem 1 is used and finishes the creation of the glucose molecules.
During photosynthesis the electron transport chain powers the production of ATP. It also creates another form of energy called NADPH.
Finally, the ATP is pumped out of the cell and sent off to be used in cellular respiration, which we will talk about next! What the photsystems and Electron Transport Chain are called light-dependent reactions. They are the reason plants need light energy from the sun in order to create ATP.
While not many people know about cellular respiration it is a very important cycle. It is how cells get the energy they need to survive and carry on their functions.
Cellular Respiration
How it Works
The first part of cellular respiration occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell. This is where the glucose (or any foodstuff) is converted into pyruvic acid in a process called glycosis.
From here the acid is taken to the mitochondria of the cell where the rest of the process takes place. Most people have heard that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and this is why! In the mitochondria, the acid is used in the Krebs cycle, also known as the Citric Acid cycle. This is the process that creates the ATP.
The final step is the Electron transport chain. Here the creation of ATP is finished and oxygen is also used in the formation of water as a by-product.
One last thing to know is the equations for both photosynthesis and cellular respiration. It is important to see that the outputs for photosynthesis are the inputs for cellular respiration and vice versa. This just goes to show how connected everything and how everything has a role to play!
Food Webs & Energy Pyramids
Food Web
These diagrams are used to show the food chain of an ecosystem and connects all the life forms involved. At the bottom are the producers and as you move up you see the different levels of consumers and decomposers. Pyramids are also used to show how energy is transferred through the levels.
Key Terms
Autotroph - (producers) are organisms that make their own food
Heterotroph - (consumers) organisms that eat other organisms for energy
Detrivores - (decomposers) organisms that break down dead and decaying organisms for energy
Carnivores - consumers that only eat meat/flesh
Herbivores - consumers that only eat plants
Omnivores - consumers that eat both meat and plants
Food Web
This is the food web for my jar and it includes producers (clover, moss, and penny wort), consumers (pill bugs and spring tails), secondary and tertiary consumers (Robin, toad, and hawk), and decomposers (earthworms).
Note: The Secondary and tertiary consumers were not included in the jar because they are omnivores and carnivores. This means that they eat things like the pill bugs and spring tails and need a lot of them to survive. The population of these organisms in my jar was very small and wouldn't be enough to keep those consumers alive and continue to thrive as a species.
Food Pyramid
Energy Pyramid
This pyramid displays the organisms in my jar as well as secondary and tertiary consumers that my have been found in the original environment (Bain Park). The way this works is that the producers have the most energy and through every level you move up the pyramid only 10% of energy is transferred and the rest is lost as heat.
Note: The Secondary and tertiary consumers were not included in the jar because they are omnivores and carnivores. This means that they eat things like the pill bugs and spring tails and need a lot of them to survive. The population of these organisms in my jar was very small and wouldn't be enough to keep those consumers alive and continue to thrive as a species.
Overview
Carrying Capacity
Carrying Capacity is the number of organisms that one ecosystem can support without deterioration of that environment. For this part of the project I studied the populations of all the species in my jar and recorded how they increased or decreased. This helped me find which organisms were best suited in this environment and led me to think deeper about what worked for those organisms and what didn't.
This graph displays all the species in the jar and their population at the start and end of the experiment.
Carrying Capacity of Worms and Clover plants
Of all the species I chose to more closely examine the clover plants and the pill bugs. I was able to determine this using the data I collected and graphed along with some observations of the overall jar.
Carrying Capacity of Pill Bugs
After collecting my data I determined that the carrying capacity for pill bugs in my jar was about one. I began this experiment with three pill bugs and after about a week and half they had all died. Looking back at pictures I noticed that the plants hadn't grown that much at that point I this led me to believe that the pill bugs died because they didn't have enough food. If I were to every repeat this or add more I would make sure to have more food for them to ensure they don't starve but instead thrive.
Pill Bugs
This graph depicts changes in the pill bug population over the course of the experiment.
Carrying Capacity for Clover Plants
After the collection of my data I have calculated that the carrying capacity for clover plants in my jar is roughly ten. I determined that every new growth of plant that split off with new roots was another clover plant. I believe that the reason so many could thrive is because of the space in the jar. The plants had plenty of space to grow upwards and even lots of room to grow outwards despite the other plants and organisms in the jar. Clover grows fast so if I were ever to repeat this I now know to leave lots of room for it to grow.
Clover Plants
This graph depicts changes in the pill bug population over the course of the experiment.