Eco Column
Nicole, Victoria, Alyssia
Abstract: In this lab, several two-liter soda bottles were used to construct an eco-bottle that
contains a terrestrial, aquatic, and decomposition chamber in order to try to maintain life over a
period of time. After construction, the bottle was monitored once a week over a span of about
four months, in which we monitored the pH of the water as well as the height and livelihood of
the aquatic and terrestrial plants. Additional living organisms such as worms and a snail were
added to the ecosystem to see how long they could be sustained in our simulated environment.
Once the experiment ended, the data collected revealed that although our eco-bottle was able to
sustain plant life, it could not keep our animal alive.
-BACKGROUNDPurpose: The purpose of this lab is to create a functioning, open ecosystem made up of the
three chambers that contain all the processes necessary for a living environment.
Hypothesis: If we are able to synthetically mirror the processes of nature such as decomposition
and growth using three two-liter bottles and other materials, then we could create our own
ecosystem because we would be simulating the natural cycles that occur in nature that are
necessary for maintaining life.
Research: The internet was used in order to find information on creating the eco-column as well
as information on how to maintain it.
http://www.sotacad.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=52:apenvironmental-science&id=230:eco-column-la
http://learner.org/courses/essential/life/bottlebio/ecocol/build.html
Materials: Packages of top soil, gravel, and aquarium pebbles
Three transparent two-liter bottles
De-chlorinated water (about 3 liters)
Worms
Leaf litter
Food Items (for decomposition)
Scissors
Pomacea Canaliculata (terrestrial plant)
Glyceria Septentrionalis (aquatic plant)
Pomacea Canaliculata (snail)
An animal
Rocks
Nail (to puncture bottle caps)
pHydrion Vivid dispenser
-PROCEDURE1) Take one of the bottles and remove the top by cutting from about 3in from the cap of
the bottle using scissors. This bottle will be used on the bottom of the ecosystem and will serve
to be the aquatic chamber.
2) Now take the other two bottles and remove their bases by cutting from about 3 in from
their bases. These bottles will serve as the decomposition and terrestrial chambers.
3) Puncture several times the caps of the decomposition and terrestrial chambers using
the nail. This will serve to establish a water connection between the three chambers.
4) Now we will form the chambers. For the aquatic, pour the aquatic pebbles until the
height reaches about 2-3 cm from the base. Then pour de-chlorinated water until the surface
reaches a few cm below where the cap of the next chamber lies. Add your floating aquatic plants
and the animal (note: in the data table for the snail and aquatic plant, the words “alive” and
“deceased” are used to indicate whether they are alive or have died).
5) The middle chamber will be the decomposition chamber. The base will be the top of
the bottle. First, pour 1-2 cm of gravel. Then pour about 2-3 cm of topsoil over the gravel layer.
Gently add the worms into the soil mixture. Finally, scatter leaf litter and food items until about
2 cm below the bottle cap of the next chamber. Place the finished chamber bottle first on top of
the aquatic. Do not seal.
6) The final chamber is the terrestrial. Add a 1-2cm layer of gravel. Then mix equal
parts of leaf litter and topsoil and add about 6-8 cm of the mixture over the gravel layer. Add a
few worms as well to the soil. Finally, place your terrestrial plant in the soil to grow. Now you
can place this finished chamber onto the decomposition chamber.
7) Take one of the removed bases of decomposition or terrestrial chambers, and puncture
multiple holes throughout the base using the nail. Make sure each hole is evenly spaced. Then
place the base onto the terrestrial chamber. This will allow the simulation of rain when you
water your eco-column.
8) Now in regards to maintenance, remember to keep your eco-column in contact to
sunlight so that the plants can photosynthesize. Also, periodically change about 25% of the
water from the aquatic chamber once a week, as well as water the ecosystem once a week (or
more often if the plants begin to dry out). Remove excess algae and large debris with tweezers.
- RESULTS Graphs:
Data Collection:
Data:
Date
pH of
Aquatic
System
12/13/11
12/14/11
12/15/11
12/16/11
12/19/11
1/3/12
1/6/12
1/13/12
1/18/12
1/23/12
1/27/12
2/3/12
2/10/12
2/17/12
2/24/12
3/2/12
3/9/12
3/16/12
3/23/12
3/30/12
4/11/12
7
7
7
7
7
7
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
7
Height of
Pomacea
Canaliculata
(cm)
6.9
6.9
7.1
7.6
8.9
12.7
14
17
17.8
18.5
20.3
21.6
22.9
25.4
25.9
26.7
27.9
33
35.6
35.6
36.8
Glyceria
Pomacea
Septentrionalis Canaliculata
(aquatic plant) (snail)
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Deceased
Conclusion:
Monitoring of the eco-bottle had taken place once a week
every Monday around 2:00 PM for about four months. We monitored
the eco-bottle specifically for the pH of the water in the aquatic
chamber, the height of the terrestrial plant, and whether the snail was
alive. We also watered the ecosystem during this period. At the
experiment’s completion, only half of the bottle’s life continued to
thrive. Because the eco-bottle had not been watered for over a week,
the terrestrial plant died; however, the aquatic half of the bottle was
brimming with green algae and life. The aquatic plant had also grown
longer and greener.
Throughout the bottle’s duration, several changes in its
maintenance and structure were made. We originally had stream soil
in the aquatic chamber rather than the aquarium pebbles. We
removed the soil after the original aquatic plant died (a rooted plant)
and the chamber began to take on a rotting smell. The soil was
replaced with aquatic pebbles, and the rooted plant was changed to
floating plants. Also, midway through the year, we changed our
method of watering the ecosystem. Previously, we had used only
bottled water due to its absence of chorine; however, in order to save
money and space (the aquatic chamber began to grow inundated), we
began to recycle the water in the eco-bottle by watering the terrestrial chamber with water from
the aquatic chamber. This was done simply by having one person remove the bottom aquatic
chamber (while someone else is holding the upper half of the eco-bottle) and pouring some of the
water from the aquatic chamber onto the terrestrial chamber. The plants seemed to thrive all the
same.
The pH of the water in the aquatic chamber was measured using the pHydrion Vivid pH
strip dispenser. The pH had remained constant for the most part, only fluctuating between 6 and
7, but generally maintaining a pH 6. The terrestrial plant had grown significantly, as it was only
less than 3 inches at the beginning of the experiment and 14.5 inches at the end. The floating
aquatic plant had flourished as well, as indicated by its vibrant green color by the experiment’s
end. This is in stark contrast to the original rooted aquatic plant, which had only survived less
than a month. Perhaps the rooted plant’s growth was hindered by the turbidity of the water,
preventing it from photosynthesizing.
Our eco-bottle had started out with a snail in the aquatic chamber. However, within only
weeks of placing it there, it had died. This was before we changed the conditions of the aquatic
chamber, such as the removal of the soil and replacing it with the aquarium pebbles. At that
time, our rooted plant died as well. Perhaps if our snail had lived in the newly established
aquatic system, it may have survived. The fact that our new aquatic chamber survived suggests
this possibility.