Mesocosms

A mesocosm is an experimental tool that is used to simulate the complex interrelationships between organisms in the natural world, in a smaller, more controlled situation.

Visit the following website and learn about how one type of mesocosm (the Winogradsky column) works.
Complete the virtual lab at least 4 times.Each time make note of the precise conditions (soil type and volume; number and type of plants, number and type of animals) that you started with, as well as the results of your simulation.
- Did you create a viable ecosystem?
- How long did the plants and animals survive?
- How did the environmental conditions (CO₂, O₂, sunlight and biomass) change over the 12 week period (graphs are the best way to show this)?

Real World Applications - Biosphere 2

The Biosphere 2, situated in Oracle, Arizona, was designed to demonstrate the viability of a closed ecosystem to sustain life over a duration of 2 years ("Biosphere 2"). More information can be found at:

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/oct/20-life-under-the-bubble

Life in Biosphere 2Jane Poynter tells her story of living two years and 20 minutes in Biosphere 2 -- an experience that provoked her to explore how we might sustain life in the harshest of environments.

Google Sites

Report abuse