Thursday, 14 March 2013


Abiotic components of our eco - column

Test 1:

Temperatures:
Temperature of room: 29 degrees Celsius
Temperature of aqua zone: 28 degrees Celsius

pH of water:
pH of water is 9
No difficulties were encountered when recording the pH.

Test 2:
Temperatures:
Temperature of water: 21 degrees Celsius
Temperature of room: 22 degrees Celsius

pH of the water:
pH of water is still 9
No difficulties were encountered when recording the pH.

Photos of us taking recordings: 




 Terra
The earthworms are thriving because the moisture is perfect for the earthworms and the temperature is a warm, there is plenty nutrients for them to eat and at night the light is dark as usual which is very good for earthworms.  “It is moist as fresh water is added is regularly as possible. Earthworms need few requirements to thrive; a dark, moist environment with plenty to eat is all they need.  The result is nature's perfect fertilizer.” http://www.worms4earth.com/aboutworms.php

Decomposition
The moisture is good enough for the fruit fly eggs to hatch as the decomposition zone is quite closed so the eggs can be able to hatch. Fruit flies are attracted to rotting materials and this affecting our decomp zone as the material is rotting, fruit flies prefer humid temperatures. “Fruit flies are active in the summer, but you won't find them in cold winter temperatures. The tiny pests will find their way into your home in warm months, hovering around exposed fruit and food wherever they can find it” this supports my point of the fruit flies being attracted to warm temperatures.

Read more: 
Can Cold Temperatures Kill Fruit Flies? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_10005344_can-cold-temperatures-kill-fruit-flies.html#ixzz2NVNIKTSk

Aqua
 The algae will not thrive in the aqua zone as the water is not be recycled. The tropical temperature of the water is not ideal for the algae. “Temperature The optimal temperature for phytoplankton cultures is generally between 20 and 24°C” our temperatures on the first time were about 28°C and on the second time was 22°C  so the plant is experiencing a difference in temperature which is not good for the plant and the average temperature was over 24°C. http://www.growing-algae.com/algae-growing-conditions.html

The pH is 9 of our water, and inorder for a algae to thrive the pH needs to be inbetween 7-9, and that is good for our algae plant. There is almost no sunlight that gets into our system and therefore  our radish seeds are dead and it is not helping our algae at all.  There is movement in the air due to the fans.
  The pH range for most cultured algal species is between 7 and 9, with the optimum range being 8.2-8.7. Complete culture collapse due to the disruption of many cellular processes can result from a failure to maintain an acceptable pH. The latter is accomplished by aerating or mixing the culture. In the case of high-density algal culture, the addition of carbon dioxide allows to correct for increased pH, which may reach limiting values of up to pH 9 during algal growth.

Algae, diverse group of simple, plantlike organisms. Like plants, most algae use the energy of sunlight to make their own food, a process called photosynthesis.

Who did what?

Nikolai did all the comments and collected the links and copied and pasted the info.

Theuns posted data and made the pictures comments.

Angus measured all the data.





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