Biosphere Project
You are going to play god!
Each
student will build their own biosphere containing both pond culture and
terrarium. The contents of the pond
culture should have everything necessary to sustain the different life forms of
the 5 kingdoms (i.e. a few snails and other Invertebrate to represent the
animals, algae as a representative of the plant kingdom, bacteria to represent
the monera, paramecium to represent the protists, and mold to represent the
fungi). The terrestrial part of
the biosphere should be completely enclosed so that watering will never need to
be done after the biosphere is constructed and sealed. A connection between the pond culture
and terrarium will create a water cycle thus removing any need for
watering. Insects (animals) such
as drosophilae and mosquito can be added to the biosphere before sealing.
The
only contact that you will make with the internal parts of the biosphere will
be for sampling purposes. The
sampling should only be done through a small opening (porthole) that allows
access to the pond culture with a small pipette or probe. This porthole will be sealed shut after
sampling using some sort of tape.
By building a balanced habitat your biosphere should be capable of
sustaining life for some time while remaining totally isolated from the rest of
our planet.
The
report will be graded as follows:
Biosphere:
20 pts.
10
pts. for building the biosphere.
10
pts. for the health of your biosphere
Report:
80 pts.
30
pts. for the following:
1. A general purpose to the
Biosphere project.
2. A procedure detailing the “how”s
and “why”s of your biosphere
setup. This should include explanations of:
*
how the biosphere was made.
*
where the water came from (why?).
*
a description of the organisms (both macroscopic & microscopic)
residing in
your biosphere. Why? What is the food web you are
trying to
establish.
*
population counts of each organism for future comparison.
*
data table and graph of micro. pop. per lpf or hpf.
*
description of what the biotic and abiotic interactions are.
*
how matter and energy are being transferred and used.
*
photosynthesis and food pyramid (include 90% rule)
* relationship between cell Respiration and photosynthesis - be
sure to
include the
chemical equation of each with an explanation.
*
the water cycle, compare with the earths water cycle.
*
drawings, names, and description of
the organisms' behavior and role
in the
biosphere. (Are they producers, consumers, decomposers?)
10 pts. Detailed drawings of the biosphere and
contents at the
beginning of the project (September) and another drawing of
how
it looks at the end. (December)
5
pts. A drawing showing the food chains and
food webs existing in
both the pond culture and
terrarium (What is eating what?)
5
pts. for population counts for all your organisms.
20pts. for a log of weekly observations/inferences.
Use the catalog of
microorganisms to identify your
micro-life.
10
pts. for a conclusion discussing the major events, reasons for
change within your biosphere,
and modifications you would
make if you were to build
another one.
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Work on the report continuously throughout the semester by making weekly observations and inferences in a journal on your computer. There are concepts from every chapter, as well as information about the real biosphere on the Internet, that should be included in the report. Be a good god and may the force be with you.