EcoTower Observation #1 3/25/11

1. Betta fish ( we have one that is alive)
Crickets ( We put six crickets in at first. The next day we on spotted four and then when we sealed the tower all of them died.)
Snails ( We put two snails in the ecotower and both are alive)
Worms ( The three that we put in their are buried in the soil and don't know if they are dead or alive)

2. We think the fish and snails are still alive because they are able to survive off the algae and the oxygen from the water. The crickets and worms are dead because, we believe, the carbon cycle failed. We were unable to see the worms to observe if they were dead or not.

3. Bean plants (Put three beans in the soils and a week later they all sprouted up)
Algae ( Stayed alive before and after we sealed the tower)
Other plants ( We put two other plants on the land area and one of them died and the other survived)

4. We think the bean seeds grew because they were able to grow roots in the soil. The soil stayed moist to bring the seeds alive. One of the plants that was given to us by Mr. Jennings, grew successfully. But the other plant died because the roots were unable to grow into the soil. The algae is still alive because it is in the water, providing it with moisture and oxygen.

5. When we sealed our ecotower the water was clear but now after a week it has a yellowish tint when you look in it.

6.

I didn't expect the cricket to die so soon i thought they would die but i thought the carbon cycle would have worked and kept the crickets alive at least for a little while.

7. I think that the water part of our ecosystem will keep progressing as if it was out in the world. I think the water will keep getting dirtier and dirtier after weeks go by. But  I also think the bean plants will grow more and more plus i am not sure but think the worms are still alive and keep nutrients in the soil.

Ecotower Sealing Day

Why we did this this project?
We did this project to make a mini ecosystem and do something that would show all three cycles working at once. Plus plan how to use the energy pyramid by using biotic and abiotic factors to support our animals.

Emily S.- one bottle, duck tape, fish, crickets, worms, snails, grass, and strainer
Travis- soil, caulk gun, and caulk
T.J.- bottle and gravel
Mrs. Richardson- algae
Mr.Jennings- Plants

The three water cycles used in our project was water, carbon, and nitrogen. The animals in our ecosystem are bata fish, crickets, worms, and snails. Grass, algae, and other plants were used as the producers for our ecosystem.

I did not sneak a peak at our ecosystem and did what i was suppose to do.

Succession and Abiotic Factors

As the world evolves every day the abiotic and the biotic drastically change. Abiotic factors are things that are not or haven't ever been alive. When biotic factors are organisms that were alive at one point. For Rayshawn and my experiment today we investigated on how succession influences surface temperature. We got the temperature from different surfaces with different textures.

The relationship between succession site and temperature is the less shade the higher the temperature. A biotic factor that influences the temperature of each site is the trees because they provide the shade that changes the temperature

Signs of Springs

Sign 1

Location: Edge of practice football field

For our first sign of spring at our first site we spotted a female cone starting to bloom on a pine tree. Plus their was honey suckle growing up the tree with the female cones on it. The weather was really nice, it was in the 50's with a light wind enough to lift your hair up a little bit. As we stood still we could hear crows crowing and a whistling noise as the wind blew through the trees.

Sign 2

Location: Down beside the pond

As we walked down the pond we spotted little pine cones and female cones growing on little trees beside the pond. If you looked close at the female cones they had pollen on them that's name is Alder cat kins. That's another sign of spring for our second site. When we were taking our observations we heard a bird fly over cawing. Then you could hear the trees rocking back and forth in the woods as the wind picked up a little since our first site. You could really feel how nice the weather was their because it's really open. Even though the wind picked up a little the sun was still beaming down. While standing by the lake Mrs. Richardson told us it was 54 degrees outside.

Sign 3

Location: Back in the trails of the woods

As we were walking down the trail towards our third site we spotted a butterfly fluttering through the trees. That is a huge sign that spring is coming and when we walked a little bit further their was spring growth on a trees. It was the beginning stages of the tree about to bloom. The only thing I really heard was leaves crunching as people walked on them and the water going down the stream of the creek. It was a little chilly in the woods because we were in the shade. But the wind was only blowing every now and then but it wasn't even enough to pick up a piece of paper.

Sign 4

Location: The front circle of the school

For our forth and final site to find signs of spring we were in front of the school. As soon as we got to the site i automatically spotted the trees starting to bloom. Almost all the trees in front of the school started to have red blooms on the edge of their branches. We were in a open field so the sun was beaming down which made it a little warmer but their was a light wind that gave you chill bumps when it blew. But it was only strong enough t blow the branches of the trees back and forth. Plus thats what we could hear was the branches making a knocking noise as they hit each other.