Terrarium:
We started our ecology unit by building a terrarium with a partner of our choice. I partnered with Olivia.
Objective: A terrarium is a human-made ecosystem in a container. In this project, you will work with a partner to design and create a terrarium and use it to study the ecosystem that you have created.
Hypothesis: If we water our plants everyday then they will die because succulents only need a small amount of water.
Hypothesis: If we water our plants everyday then they will die because succulents only need a small amount of water.
Materials:
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Procedure:
- find a container
- layer in materials:
- sand
- small pebbles
- medium rocks
- small pebbles
- activated charcoal
- moss
- potting soil
- plant succulents (it will take a few days for the roots to replant them selves)
- add in thin layers of soil, sand, and small animal toys to decorate
Log:
Results:
Our terrarium was very successful. Our succulents were full grown when we got them so they did not grow very much.
Conclusion/Analysis:
Our limiting factors were both abiotic and biotic. The abiotic factor was the size the the container and our biotic factor was the amount of sunlight our plants were able to get. These factors caused our plants to grow at a slower rate than they normally do when planted elsewhere. There were three cycles occurring in our terrarium: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle. Our water cycle began when we watered our plants, the water was then adsorbed by the roots and soil, while the excess water evaporated into the surrounding atmosphere or formed condensation between the soil and container. Our carbon cycle started when the plants absorbed the carbon dioxide and then returned it back into the atmosphere. Our nitrogen cycle starts with the roots of our plants that have nitrogen fixing bacteria, this fixes the nitrogen in the soil, which then goes back into the atmosphere by denitrification.
- Day 1: We have finished making our terrarium, and are discussing how much ours should be watered. We know that we do not need to water our terrarium everyday like other groups need to because succulents do not need as much water. We also took a picture.
- Day 8: It has been one week since we last took a picture of our terrarium. We have lightly watered it every other day. We had to take out one plant because we did not plant it well causing it to be unable to plant it roots. Since it was unable to plant its roots it died. All of our other plants are doing well. We have decided to water it a little more because it seems slightly under watered.
- Day 15: Our plants are doing well. My partner is going to take our terrarium home over thanksgiving break.
- Day 22: My partner brought our terrarium back and it looks fantastic.
- Day 28: We are bringing home our terrariums today. Ours lived and grew very successfully.
Results:
Our terrarium was very successful. Our succulents were full grown when we got them so they did not grow very much.
Conclusion/Analysis:
Our limiting factors were both abiotic and biotic. The abiotic factor was the size the the container and our biotic factor was the amount of sunlight our plants were able to get. These factors caused our plants to grow at a slower rate than they normally do when planted elsewhere. There were three cycles occurring in our terrarium: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle. Our water cycle began when we watered our plants, the water was then adsorbed by the roots and soil, while the excess water evaporated into the surrounding atmosphere or formed condensation between the soil and container. Our carbon cycle started when the plants absorbed the carbon dioxide and then returned it back into the atmosphere. Our nitrogen cycle starts with the roots of our plants that have nitrogen fixing bacteria, this fixes the nitrogen in the soil, which then goes back into the atmosphere by denitrification.
dont give up shoes, it hurts.