User:Whitney Morales/Notebook/Biology 210 at AU

January 24, 2014 (Lab 2)

After having a sample of our prairie transect in a jarred container with deer park water and powdered milk, the following: - semi- thick film on surface of water - some underlying mold-like substance underneath globs of soil that float on top of water's surface - greenery remained intact in the plant stem - 3-apparent niches

    1) a soil based bottom
    2)liquid water middle (water pretty transparent)
    3) a thin film layered surface

- water in the container again is transparent with a brownish tint - mildew surrounding the perimeter of the jar at the surface layer

Organisms found in soil based bottom niche 1) Paramecium Vorticella (40x) - 6oc=15 um -small cell with elongated body -swims rapidly in a corkscrew fashion -body covered entirely with cilia

2)Colpidium (40x) - 10oc= 25 um -white/colorless -small body, oval shaped with small mouth -fast swimmer

3)Amoeba (40x) - 1oc= 2.5 um -small -creeps using false feet -single disk-shaped nucleus

4)Gonium (40x) -14oc=35 um -colony flat, disc-shaped, usually containing 16 cells -organ of locomotion is long whip-like flagella -white/colorless

Serial dilutions of prairie transect

After snowfall that occurred on 1/21/14, our prairie transect was naturally covered with snow

January 16, 2014 (Lab 1) Group 5: Prairie

Abitotic Elements:concrete benches, walkway stones, metal lining surrounding soil, rocks pebbles

Biotic Elements:soil/fertilizer, bushes/shrubs, leaves, flowers, grass, birds (chicks)

- Area mostly consists of biotic elements with the implementation of man made factors such as the concrete benches and walkway stones (abiotic elements) - Due to the current winter season, the plot of land is essentially barren. Dead flowers on the bushes/shrubs, little to no grass directly on the soil. - On this particular day, there was a good amount of sunlight (source of energy for any potential growth of the biotic factors)