Nature Balancing Act - Ecosystems

Make sure to read "Garden in a Bottle" so you can compare its ecosystem to the one in Yellowstone.

Vocabulary

What are the parts of a food chain? Why are they important to an Ecosystem? Compare 2 systems that you make and observe how they are alike and different. Discover and draw some in you home environment.

In Attachments:Powerpoint of Ecosystem.Ecosystem in a bottle experiment.

You will need: Four 2-liter soda bottles, two bottle caps, wicking material-fabric interfacing or cotton string, tap and pond water, potting soil and soil from outside. Store bought plants and some dug up from outside.

Let's experiment: Make 2 TerrAqua Columns as explained below. You will make them both the same until you get to step 4. Make sure to mark them clearly and describe each in a journal.

1. Now fill the top unit 1 with soil you collect and unit 2 with potting soil from a gardening store.2. Fill the lower aquatic unit 1 with water from a pond, lake, puddle or fish tank. Fill the lower aquatic unit 2 with tap water.

Set them side by side and observe for a few months. Keep a journal of daily observations.