Terrarium Project
In this project we embarked on a journey to find sustainability and balance. We decided to make a formicarium, a.k.a. a terrarium with ants.
MATERIALS
Glass jar
Dirt
Charcoal
Gravel
Sand
Water
Ants
PROCEDURE
We brainstormed practical ideas to make our terrarium. We then decided that a glass jar with dirt, charcoal, gravel, grass, and ants would best suit our needs. First we put in a gravel layer, and then a charcoal layer. The charcoal layer is meant to filter the water. We then proceeded to put in dirt and plant our grass. Finally, we found ants outside and placed them inside our terrarium.
MATERIALS
Glass jar
Dirt
Charcoal
Gravel
Sand
Water
Ants
PROCEDURE
We brainstormed practical ideas to make our terrarium. We then decided that a glass jar with dirt, charcoal, gravel, grass, and ants would best suit our needs. First we put in a gravel layer, and then a charcoal layer. The charcoal layer is meant to filter the water. We then proceeded to put in dirt and plant our grass. Finally, we found ants outside and placed them inside our terrarium.
Update: 11511.5
The ants in the terrarium have moved into a colony in the side of the jar. They have stockpiled the eggs and seem to be busy in the corner. The grass is doing well, and things seem to be going well. My biggest concern is that the terrarium is not going to receive enough water.
The ants in the terrarium have moved into a colony in the side of the jar. They have stockpiled the eggs and seem to be busy in the corner. The grass is doing well, and things seem to be going well. My biggest concern is that the terrarium is not going to receive enough water.
Update: 11511.12
The ants have dug deeper in the colony in the ground. We think that this might be because there are nutrients deeper in the ground. The grass is doing well luckily.
The ants have dug deeper in the colony in the ground. We think that this might be because there are nutrients deeper in the ground. The grass is doing well luckily.
Update: 11511.19
Most of the ants in our terrarium are dead, but there are still a few roaming around. Mikey and I believe that the ants are dying because their life span is very short and they cannot reproduce without a queen. The grass is still green, which is a good sign that the soil contains enough nutrients.
Update: 11511.26
Mikey and I have only seen one ant since the last update, which is probably a sign that almost all of them are dead. The grass is looking less vibrant, probably because there are not enough nutrients in the soil.
Mikey and I have only seen one ant since the last update, which is probably a sign that almost all of them are dead. The grass is looking less vibrant, probably because there are not enough nutrients in the soil.
Update: 11512.3
Our ants seem to have finally died. It is possible that they went deep underground and we can't see them, but I would guess that they died due to their inability to reproduce. The grass has started to get a little yellow, but that is likely because we could not water for several days in a row.
Analysis:
Our terrarium had biotic and abiotic limiting factors. The main biotic factors in our terrarium are the ants and the grass. The ants ate some of the grass and added nutrients to the soil. In turn, the grass served as food for the grass. The important abiotic factors in our terrarium are the sunlight, temperature, soil, and water. The sunlight and the temperature must be stable enough to keep the grass and the ants healthy. We put the terrarium close to the window to allow it to get maximum sunlight and consistent heat. We also watered it four or five days a week to ensure that the grass and ants had enough water to survive, but we also made sure not to drown the organisms.
Many nutrient cycles also took place in our terrarium. One cycle that occurred in our terrarium was the carbon cycle. First, the grass used photosynthesis to absorb energy from the sun. Then, the grass produced oxygen that the ants use in respiration, and they added some oxygen to the atmosphere of the classroom. The grass also produces glucose, that when the other organisms eat, gain that energy. Next, the ants and the grasses die, transferring the energy to the living ants. This cycle continues as long as the ants can reproduce. Another cycle was the water cycle. When we watered the environment, water would slowly evaporate over the until we watered it the next time. This made it so that the water did not evaporate all at once. Instead, the water would slowly evaporate back into the soil and out the top. Also, when the plants absorb the water, they expel the water using transpiration. The final cycle that occurs in our terrarium is the nitrogen cycle. When the grasses absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere, they expel ammonia. In a process known as nitrogen fixation, bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates . The ammonia disappears and nitrates thrive, which produce proteins. Finally proteins add nitrogen to the atmosphere.
Our terrarium had biotic and abiotic limiting factors. The main biotic factors in our terrarium are the ants and the grass. The ants ate some of the grass and added nutrients to the soil. In turn, the grass served as food for the grass. The important abiotic factors in our terrarium are the sunlight, temperature, soil, and water. The sunlight and the temperature must be stable enough to keep the grass and the ants healthy. We put the terrarium close to the window to allow it to get maximum sunlight and consistent heat. We also watered it four or five days a week to ensure that the grass and ants had enough water to survive, but we also made sure not to drown the organisms.
Many nutrient cycles also took place in our terrarium. One cycle that occurred in our terrarium was the carbon cycle. First, the grass used photosynthesis to absorb energy from the sun. Then, the grass produced oxygen that the ants use in respiration, and they added some oxygen to the atmosphere of the classroom. The grass also produces glucose, that when the other organisms eat, gain that energy. Next, the ants and the grasses die, transferring the energy to the living ants. This cycle continues as long as the ants can reproduce. Another cycle was the water cycle. When we watered the environment, water would slowly evaporate over the until we watered it the next time. This made it so that the water did not evaporate all at once. Instead, the water would slowly evaporate back into the soil and out the top. Also, when the plants absorb the water, they expel the water using transpiration. The final cycle that occurs in our terrarium is the nitrogen cycle. When the grasses absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere, they expel ammonia. In a process known as nitrogen fixation, bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates . The ammonia disappears and nitrates thrive, which produce proteins. Finally proteins add nitrogen to the atmosphere.