Winogradsky Column
Winogradsky Column
Winogradsky Column
Bacteria and Archaea are the most diverse and numerous organisms on Earth. They are also considered
to be the most ancient forms of life. The two major groups of bacteria exhibit various types of metabolic
mechanismsoxygenic and anoxygenic photoautotrophy, chemoautotrophy, and photoheterotrophy.
They also play an important role in cycling elements (HHMI, 2012).
In this activity, students will be able to:
1. design and/or create their own layers of ecosystem in a bottle (Winogradsky column) taking
into consideration the biotic and abiotic factors
2. explain the roles of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem
3. discuss the effects of changes in the abiotic factors on an ecosystem
Materials
Clear plastic bottles
Trowel for digging sediment samples
Water
Bucket or any large container
Plastic cups
Funnel
Labeling tape
Plastic wrap
Procedure:
1. Students will be grouped into four (4). Each group will have two plastic disposable containers.
2. Depending on the components selected, the container may be labeled one of the following:
a. control column: sediment + water
b. shredded newspaper (SN) column: sediment +water + shredded newspaper
c. egg yolk (EY) column: sediment + water + egg yolk
d. SN + EY column: sediment + water + SN + EY
3. Add 1.5 cups of sediment into plastic disposable containers.
a. For the control column:
Mix the sediment sample thoroughly. Make sure to remove any large debris such as
leaves, rocks or sticks. Slowly mix in water (either the water you collected or tap water)
until the mixture has the consistency of a milk shake.
DOST-SEIProject STARRSH2015
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DOST-SEIProject STARRSH2015
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