Ecosystem in a Bottle: Week 4

Week Four

September 30, 2013

Water: water is still clear; water level does not seem to have gone down any since last week

Elodea: still floating; slightly brown on the edges; new sprig that appeared last week is about 3x longer than it was

Snails: both snails stuck to the bottle, in the water

Daphnia: still no sign of the daphnia

Seeds/ leaves: plants are still growing and "curving" along the top of the bottle; some of the leaves are yellowing

Soil: roots are still visible in the soil; the bean casings that fell off can still be seen on top of the soil

Ecosystem in a Bottle: Week 3

Week Three
September 23, 2013

Water: water is still clear; water level is a little lower than it was last week, leading us to believe we did not succeed in creating a truly closed system; condensation is found on both the top and the bottom half of the ecosystem

Elodea: still floating; slightly brown on the edges; a new sprig is growing!

Snails: both snails stuck to the top of the bottom bottle; possible a third (baby) snail

Daphnia: still not visible, although there are plenty of the exoskeletons in the water

Seeds: all 3 bean seeds have sprouted; they have grown upwards as much as possible and are now "curving" and growing along the top of the bottle

Soil: roots are still visible in the soil; the bean casings have fallen off and can be seen on top of the soil

Ecosystem in a Bottle: Week 2

Week Two
September 16, 2013

*A sketch of our Ecosystem in a Bottle

Water: water is still clear; we marked the water level to see if our system is really closed or if we are losing water

Elodea: still floating; slightly brown on the edges/tips 

Snails: only one snail is stuck to the side of the bottle; other snail is on the gravel

Daphnia: not visible, perhaps hiding near the bottom

Seeds: 2 beans fully sprouted (each about the length of a pencil); other seed is "hooked" and in the process of sprouting

Soil: roots are visible in the soil

Ecosystem in a Bottle, Day 1

Elementary Science Methods

Day One: Creating Our Ecosystem
September 9, 2013

Water: filled about half of the bottom bottle with spring water; water is clear

Elodea: healthy; 12 cm in length; floating near the top of the water

Snails: 2 healthy, small snails added; adjusting nicely, sticking to the side of the bottle

Daphnia: 5 daphnia added; active and visible

Seeds: 3 pole bean seeds planted shallowly in the organic soil