A Biosphere in a Bottle

1
A Biosphere in a Bottle
The Bottle Biosphere Project

• AP Environmental Science

2
What is a BioBottle?

• A simplified ecosystem contained within a sealed,
  2-3L soda bottle (Closed Ecological System)
• Can be terrestrial, aquatic or a combination
• A student-designed, synthesis activity
  illustrating an understanding of biogeochemical
  cycles, food chains webs, and energy transfer

3
The Assignment

• Each student or group of two students must seal
  a clear container so that no matter can enter or
  leave it.
• The Goal is to include a community of organisms
  that is planned to balance each other in their
  chemical needs and waste products and to provide
  an energy flow from the light that enters the
  container to all living things inside
• The test period will run for two weeks
• A formal, written report will be produced
• at the end of the experience consisting of
• Plan
• Construction Methods
• Charts/Diagrams
• Observational Records
• Conclusion
• English Extension Personification Essay

4
The PLAN

• Required prior to construction
• Must include
• Type of container method of sealing (hint
  balloons make good lungs!)
• Type of environment (aquatic/terrestrial/combinati
  on)
• List of non-living components
• Water source
• Nutrients added
• Biotic components must include at least one
  producer, consumer, and decomposer. Include
  numbers and source
• Most Important Rationale for Success discuss
  WHY you think you Bottle Biosphere will survive
  for two weeks once sealed. Discuss the needs of
  each organism and how those needs will be met. A
  labeled sketch is required at this stage and must
  be checked off before you may proceed to the
  Construction Phase

5
Construction

• Note the date of construction date each
  organism is added. Plants may be started prior
  to addition of animals sealing
• Include as complete a list of organisms as
  possible, both macroscopic and microscopic
• Provide the source of each organism as a clue as
  to what other life forms may be hitching a
  ride. Also note if you rinsed the organisms
  prior to adding them to your biobottle
• Record the condition of all organisms in your
  biobottle
• Record the actual amount (mass, size or number)
  of each organism sealed into your biosphere
• Explain any modifications made from the original
  plan
• Describe you construction methods how did you
  build the thing?!
• Include in the construction report anything else
  that you think is interesting as you build your
  system

6
Charts Diagrams

• Purpose to illustrate how life may be able to
  survive in your biosphere
• Must have at least two charts/diagrams
• Energy Flow Chart how light energy is converted
  to food energy and cycled through your biosphere
• Biogeochemical Cycle Chart how materials found
  in living things cycle through the biotic and
  abiotic components of your biosphere
• Each diagram must be on unlined paper not less
  than 8.5x11 inches and not more than 18x24 inches
• All drafting and lettering should be neat and
  clearly readable
• Labeled, carefully drawn pictures of all
  organisms in your biosphere should be included in
  at least one of your diagrams
• Color is good!

7
Observational Records

• Careful, detailed and dated observational records
  are essential in analyzing what is going on
  inside your biobottle and evaluating the success
  of your design
• Make your 1st observation prior to sealing the
  container and then a second immediately after
  sealing
• Thereafter, each student/member of the team will
  make a detailed observation every class day, or
  more often if you notice rapid changes within
  your biosphere
• Each observation should include a mention of each
  macroscopic organism and any changes in their
  quantity, size, condition and behavior
• Other items to observe include the appearance of
  the water, soil, sediment and the sides of the
  biosphere

8
Conclusion

• So what happened and what have you learned??
• First Part - a survey of what organisms are still
  alive, in what quantities, and in what condition
• Second Part - an explanation of facts that you
  learned from keeping a record of observations
• Third Part improvements and changes. How would
  you re-design your experiment a second time?
  What new information would you seek to gather?
  Give a reason for each change.

9
Advanced Design

• Construction of a multi-bottle Biosphere
• Using multiple bottles to connect 2-3 biomes
• Aquatic Terrestrial
• Wicks and screens
• Sealing issues

10
Common Issues, Rules, and Questions

• Keep it simple!!
• No mammals, birds or poisonous organisms
• Remember the 10 rule
• Lots of decomposers in soil, but aquatics need
  natural sediments or gravel from a working fish
  tank
• No colonial organisms (ants, bees, termites,
  etc)

11
Common Issues, Rules, and Questions (cont.)

• What do plants do at night??
• Be sure to leave some room in your bottle for an
  atmosphere
• What will be the relative humidity in your
  bottle? Are your organisms adapted to that?
• Where can you get your organisms?
• pet stores
• bait shops
• self-collected
• plant nurseries

12
Common Issues, Rules, and Questions (cont.)

• Do I fail if my bottle crashes?
• Do I have to open up my bottle at the end?
• What do I do with everything when the experiment
  is over?
• Can I take my bottle on the bus?
• Other questions??

13
What works well in a Bottle Biosphere?

• Let the students do the research!!
• Aquatics
• anacharis/elodea
• Indian waterweed (Hygrophila polysperma)
• seed snails (often on the anacharis)
• zebra danios
• common guppies
• betas
• a variety of algae-eaters with good growth of
  algae in bottle or anacharis
• critical gravel from working fishtank or
  substrate from a natural source!
• Warning!! Many aquaria plants are non-native
  invasives. NEVER allow students to dispose of
  these plants (or any store-bought organisms) into
  the environment.

14
What works well in a Bottle Biosphere?

• Terrestrial
• grasses (often winter rye collected from the
  floor of Home Depot)
• dichondra other ground covers
• the leafier the plants, the better!
• isopods (roly-poly/pill bug)
• large variety of self-collected insects
• crickets (yes, they escape and my room chirps
  for months -)
• worms (must have good drainage!)
• Good time to remind students of 10 rule (avoid
  3rd trophic level)
• Warning remind students of humidity level inside
  biobottle crickets mold and moths stick to the
  sides!

15
BioBottle Equipment

• Construction Equipment
• box cutters
• heavy-duty, clear box tape
• aquarium silicone sealant
• (primarily for multi-bottle set-ups)
• small fishnets
• plastic funnels with wide openings
• (for adding fish, etc to the bottles!)
• extra balloons/caps
• permanent markers
• Lighting
• Indirect sunlight
• Fluorescent Set-Up Timers