Tabletop Biosphere
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In this activity, learners create a sealed, mini ecosystem that supplies freshwater shrimp with food, oxygen, and waste processing for at least three months. Learners will collect water, amphipods, and sludge containing microscopic copepods and ostracods from a local pond. Learners will add the pond samples to a jar of nitrate-poor fresh water and aquatic plants and animals. They can observe their mini biosphere in action over the succeeding months.
- 4 to 24 hours
- 1 to 12 months
- Over $20 per student
- Ages 8 - 18
- Activity, Field Trip
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per student)
- glass canning jar (1-quart)
- plastic container or clear bottles, for sampling and a “holding tank”
- tap water
- small river rocks ( just enough to cover the jar bottom)
- tap-water dechlorinator
- aquarium ornaments or other glass or ceramic obstacles
- kitchen strainer or fine fishnet
- freshwater minerals (such as “Kent Freshwater” or “cichlid salts")
- amano shrimp (a.k.a Caridina multidentata)
- snails (4)
- hornwort (8 stem inches, Ceratophyllum demersum)
- duckweed (2'' x 2'' piece, a.k.a. Lemna)
- calcium carbonate (1 tablespoon)
- amphipods (8)
- pond sludge (1 or 2 Tablespoons, containing copepods and ostracods, bacteria, microalgae, etc.)
Subjects
- Earth and Space Science
- Earth Structure
- Oceans and Water
- Biosphere
- Earth Structure
- Life Sciences
- Diversity of Life
- Plants
- Animals
- Viruses and Bacteria
- Biodiversity
- Ecology
- Ecosystems
- Energy Flow and Chemical Cycles
- Biodiversity
- Diversity of Life
- The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
- Conducting Investigations
- The Scientific Process
Informal Categories
- Animals
- Nature and Environment
- Outdoor Activity
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- be mobile
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Components that are part of this resource:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
- Brown, Martin John
Rights:
- All Rights Reserved, Make Projects, ©2011
