For this lab, our objective was to successfully plan and grow a terrarium that sustained our chosen plants and gave them a healthy environment to thrive. We had to create a proposal that was to be checked and approved by Ms. Flasher.
Hypothesis: We predict that all of our succulents and plants will successfully survive in our terrarium. I think that they will have a healthy environment where they can grow and thrive. They will grow by absorbing the sun's energy and gaining nutrients from the soil.
Materials: one glass container, gravel/small rocks, activated charcoal, potting soil, moss, one grass
Procedure: 1. Get our medium sized bowl 2. Put rocks as the first layer 3. Put a small layer of charcoal as the second layer 4. put soil on the top as the third layer 5. Plant the moss 6. Plant the grass 7. Add some rocks on the top layer 8. Continue to water as needed
Analysis: Our terrarium had a few limiting factors, both biotic and abiotic. Our biotic factor was our plants. We had a long grass and a moss. Our abiotic factors were temperature, soil, watering, sunlight, charocal, and rocks. The watering, sunlight, and temperature had to be consistent in order to keep the plant's routine undisturbed. If one of these factors were to be interrupted, it could throw off the plant and its growing routine. We put our terrarium close to the window to try to ensure that it got a maximum amount of sunlight. We used just enough water so that it wasn't soaking, but not too little that it dried up.
There were many nutrient cycles that took place in our terrarium. They were the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle. Whenever we would water the environment, the water would slowly evaporate from the bottom of the container, back into the soil, and out the top. When the plants absorb water, they transpire the it, which also gets rid of some of the water. Next was the carbon cycle. The first step was that the plants absorb sunlight through photosynthesis. Next, the plants produce oxygen that could be inhaled by earthworms if there were any. Some of this oxygen also goes into the classroom. The plants also produce energy, also called glucose, that other organisms can eat, and they then gain that energy. The, the plants and organisms die, which adds energy to the geosphere. This cycle continues in this pattern until something dies or thrives unpredictably or out of the ordinary. The final cycle is the nitrogen cycle. Plants absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere, and then expel ammonia. In our terrarium, there is natural denitrifying bacteria, which converts ammonia to nitrates, which is the process of nitrogen fixation. This bacteria absorbs the ammonia, which harms the animals. The ammonia then disappears and the nitrates thrive, which then produces proteins. Other proteins produce nitrogen in the atmosphere, which is a process called denitrification.
Observations:
Week 1: The plants have just been planted and we have watered them a lot. They are starting to grow. We have only planted our moss so far.
Week 2: We have planted our grass and we continue to water our terrarium. The moss is becoming greener and continuing to grow.
Week 3: Our moss is growing at a steady rate, but is losing some of its color. Our grass is still alive, but has also lost some of its color as well. We continue to water at the same rate.
Week 5: Unfortunately, we left our terrarium in the classroom over break, so it did not get watered for a week. Amazingly, when we came back it was still alive, but barely. We managed to somewhat bring it back to life again before the unit ended by using extra water.