Name: _________________________
Ecosystem Individual Laboratory Report
Question: What is Goal of this Lab Report?
Answer: You are writing a lab report about what is required for a sustainable ecosystem. Essentially, what is
required in an ecosystem for it to survive in a healthy manner? You made a hypothesis (3 biotic factors, 3
abiotic factors) already (on your group worksheet) about what you thought was required for a healthy
ecosystem. Then you built an ecosystem with these factors in mind to test your hypothesis. Based on the results
of your test, and what you have learned in class about ecosystems, you are trying to determine if your
hypothesis correct? That is the question you answering throughout the lab, especially in the conclusion. If you
were wrong in constructing your ecosystem, IT IS OKAY, as long as you describe what you were missing AND
WHY!!!
Lab Report Formatting:
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Reports will be typed (size 12 Times New or Arial) and double-spaced (except in materials)
You must have a bolded heading for each section, similar to how this sheet is organized.
Personal pronouns (I, me, we, they, etc.) should not be in the text. This is a scientific paper, not a literary work or an
editorial.
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Section 1: Title:
This should be a brief phrase that identifies the experiment yet identifies the key components of
the investigation. Example: The effects of various fertilizers on bean plant growth. (Good!) Example: The Fertilizer
Lab.(Poor)
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Section 2: Introduction: This is where you give the reader background information on the topics your report
focuses on.
 Before stating your problem you will provide the reader with a background information paragraph that you have
obtained prior to performing this laboratory. You need to acquire this information through research from valid sources
 You must make the assumption that the readers have NO BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE on the material.
 Therefore you must give information about import key terms, concepts, and ideas that will be discussed in the rest of
your paper.
 This paragraph(s) should be THOROUGH. It is likely you will need to do some research and CITE your sources
during the paragraph or use information you have gathered from class notes/books, and at the end of your paper.
***What to consider for Intro Paragraph(s) for this project- Just to reiterate “This is where you give the
reader background information on the topics your report focuses on”. Think about what topics should be
covered here… you should establish (MINIMALLY) the following in your paragraph(s)…
 what foodwebs/chains are?
 what are the different roles(niches) in these food webs?
 what an ecosystem is and how does it work?
 what abiotic/biotic factors are?
 what sustainability is?
This should NOT BE A STRING OF FACTS, but a well thought out paragraph or two describing information
about ecosystems and their health. You should not even mention your project yet. SHOW ME THAT YOU
UNDERSTAND HOW AN ECOSYTEM OPERATES AND WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR IT TO
FUNCTION!!
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Section 3: Purpose Paragraphs:
This is where you state the problem/question you are trying to answer
and explain what you are specifically trying to determine in the experiment.
 You ask a particular scientific question or state a problem you will attempt to solve.
 You would also state how you propose to answer your question.
***What to consider for Purpose Paragraph(s) for this project- Just to reiterate “This is where you begin to
explain the purpose of this project…” You should establish (MINIMALLY) the following in your
paragraph(s)…
 Why did you make an ecosystems?
 What question(s) are you trying to answer about ecosystems?
 You should literally state somewhere… “The purpose of this project was to…fill in the reasons…”
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Section 4: Hypothesis: This section should have a clearly stated Hypothesis. This hypothesis is what you based
the experiment/test on. This hypothesis is also what will be revisited and considered in your analysis section of your
conclusion.
***What to consider for Hypothesis for this project- Refer to your original paper and insert your 2
hypothesizes here (1 abiotic, 1 biotic). You should already have most of these sections done.
 This first sentence should be your hypothesis, and it should be the only sentence in the first paragraph.
 The hypothesis should literally look something like this… “The hypothesis of this ecosystem experiment
is that (blank), (blank), (blank) biotic factors and that (blank), (blank), (blank) abiotic factors are
essential to a healthy ecosystem”
 You need to EXPLAIN, why each of these factors that you selected are important for your ecosystem
based on your background knowledge and what you have learned in class!!!
 DO NOT CHANGE YOUR ORIGINAL HYPOTHESIS!!! This is very important! It is okay if you wree
wrong, you just need to explain why you were wrong in your conclusion.
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Section 5: Materials: Give the materials list for your project here.
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The list should be BULLETED
The list should include quantities and approximate sizes (example- three 2-liter bottles of diet coke)
***What to consider for Material Section for this project- This section is simple. Just follow the directions.
Where people lose points is that they do not bullet, they are not specific with quantities and sizes.
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Section 6: Procedures and Rational for Experimental Design:
This part of the
experiment should contain step-by-step instructions on how you conduct the experiment.
 The procedure should contain specific times and places that are relevant to the experiment.
 They should be written so that another person could follow the procedure and copy your experiment.
 If the experiment is set up to test variables, then the variables as well as the control should be stated.
 Very important in this section is explaining why you set up the experiment that you did!!! What variables did you
have? What were your controls (what did you have to keep constant?)
***What to consider for Procedures Section for this project- very straight forward. Step by step of how to
build your ecosystem. Make sure to include minimally…
 Step by step building instructions (roughly 10-20 steps)
 A well drawn and labeled diagram (yes labeled…and be specific.Don’t just say fish, tell me what kind!).
 Make sure to write a paragraph that explains what variables were controlled, what variables were
measured.
 Also include a rationale for why we set up the ecosystem the way we did? Why did we use clear
containers? Why did we seal them and make them a closed system? Why did we place them where we
did?
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Section 7: Observations and Data: This portion of the report should describe what occurred during the
experiment. In many cases, this data will be in numerical form and should therefore be presented appropriately by charts,
tables, and graphs. In this section, you are not going to explain your findings, only present them.
***What to consider for Observations and Data Section for this project- very straight forward. Make sure
to include minimally…
 You should have 4-5 weeks worth of data at least, even if your ecosystem died early, it still changed
over time (mold, color, etc.)
 Type it up and put it into a table in your lab report.
 This is where you should also include all of your photos, labeled (by date). Try to fit all of the photos
in order on ONE PAGE or TWO at the most.
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Section 8: Conclusion:
The final part of your report is where you analyze your data and try to explain it.
Explaining it is different than describing it from a different angle.
 You must relate your findings to the problem you stated in the purpose.
 You must also state if the question you asked has been answered and whether it supported any hypothesis you
may have had.
 You should logically explain your data and what you have learned as best as you can. You are not just restating
your hypothesis. You must restate it, say whether it was correct, and explain why your hypothesis was correct
or not.
 A hypothesis that is proven to be incorrect is sometimes the most worthwhile experiment to explain.
 In this section you should also note any changes you would make if you were to conduct the experiment
again.
 Also, include any experimental errors that may have occurred.
 Finally, you should list any extensions that may be performed on this experiment in the future. What could we all
do to amp this project up and take it to the next level?
***What to consider for Conclusion Section for this project- This is the hardest and most important part of
your lab report. This is where you prove to me that you understand what you did and why you did it. Also, this
is where you show me you know what you might have done wrong, and how you could correct it!!! So if you
built a crappy ecosystem…this is where you get points back!!! Make sure to include minimally…
 Make sure you consider your data and determine if you hypotheses were correct or not. Literally start by
restating your hypothesis, then say the “The hypothesis was correct/incorrect, based on…”
 Back it up with both DATA AND WHAT YOU LEARNED IN CLASS.
 Then you need to explain what when wrong/right and why. The key here is answer WHY!!!
 What could you do better to make the ecosystem more sustainable, and why!
 In this section I want you to draw a diagram of your foodweb for your project, and a diagram of what
your foodweb should have looked like to be more successful.
 You can use Inspiration or another online application to make your diagrams or just do it by hand, but
try to fit it all on one page (if you are stuck on this part, ask for help)
***Most important…Relax- But put the time in! This is your first lab report. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT, but
you will be able to get through it as long as you work consistently, ask for help, and use the resources (sheets I
have given you) that are available to you. GOOD LUCK!