Eco Column Lab Report

The data we found supported our original water hypothesis. My group and I believed that adding ammonium nitrate into our eco-column would ultimately damage the ecosystems. The increase in levels of minerals from the aquatic ecosystem also indicates that the entire column was being destroyed. Through this experiment, I have learned that too much nutrients and minerals within an ecosystem can be extremely harmful to the wildlife. Throughout this experiment the water in our eco column began to turn yellow because of a surplus of nitrogen and phosphorous in the eco-column. In some of the eco-columns of the other groups in the classroom, they had eutrophication in the early stages of their eco-column which resulted in the death of many of their

organisms early on in the experiment. Early signs of eutrophication were probably a result of adding too much water to their ecosystem, increasing the rate of various nutrients cycling around in their ecosystem. Compared to the real ecosystems in the world our ecosystem was very controlled since my group and I were able to control just exactly how much water flowed into the ecosystem. Our information is useful to the community because it shows that adding excess ammonium nitrite , like in fertilizers used by farmers, can lead to eutrophication affecting many levels of the ecosystem. It would be helpful to research the effects of other chemicals that are found in chemical fertilizers or nutrient enrichments applied to various crops.

Discussion:
At the end of the experiment, my group and I observed that we were pretty unsuccessful
at creating and maintaining a self-sustaining ecosystem with our eco-column in the lab. Our fish died, the water cycle did not seem to function properly since there was not much precipitation towards the end, and the results from certain chemical tests (PH, temperature, and nitrogen) demonstrated unhealthy amounts towards the end of our experiment. All of these factors depict an unsuccessful eco-column because they demonstrate disruption in the cycles and functions of a normal ecosystem that would actually be found in nature.
In this experiment we learned that everything that is added and removed from an ecosystem affects the entire ecosystem.

There is no such thing as just changing something from one part and not having its effects distribute throughout the entire ecosystem. As an ecosystem continues changing and evolving, so will the organisms living around or in it. We must adapt to the environment or we will become extinct, unable to adapt into the rapidly changing environment we live in. Althout human impact on an environment may benefit us, it can also be harmful to nature. By taking care of what we do to the environment, we can prevent future negative changes in the environment and preserve earth’s natural state.

Sources of Error:

Possible errors include leaving in the test strips for too long, draining too much water into the aquatic chamber (overfilling/watering), and inverting the tubes for a shorter amount of time than required. Although there are many possible human errors that could be committed in this lab, it is important to note that the tools used for water testing could be expired and could therefore not work as well at detecting the proper levels for dissolved oxygen, pH, and nitrate.

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to investigate the various components of different ecosystems in a smaller representation and study the conditions required for the ecosystem’s sustainability as well as the connections between

them.

Intro/background: An ecosystem is defined as a community of organisms accompanied by their physical environment; it is one of the most interesting levels of organization in the living world. The Eco-column lab is designed to model a similar ecosystem on a much smaller scale. Its components include an aquatic habitat as well as a terrestrial habitat with a decomposition unit. The goal of our project was to design an ecosystem on a smaller scale and then measure the effects of human impact on the ecosystem. A self-sustaining ecosystem requires many parts in order to keep a balanced environment. This means ensuring that the natural chemical cycles of the ecosystems flow at a natural rate. We know that energy flows through ecosystems, while matter cycles within them. We looked for noticeable changes in our environment such as death of fish/ mold growth, and we also took qualitative evidence through soil and water sampling. This can be seen on our eco-column data table. This data can help us look at the water levels needed to ensure a healthy cycling of the environment.