Rio San Pedro sediment + filter paper
In our experiment we are going to prepare two identical Winogradsky columns using plastic bottles and each one is going to be put through different factors that will affect their development. We will mix our marine sediment with cellulose (in filter paper form) and put it in the deep part of our bottles, then, we will add more sediment until we fill the ¾ of them. Next we will slightly close our bottles and put them in different environments. One bottle will be put in total darkness and the other one is going to have one of its sides submitted to light.
Day 14
After two weeks we can see our first results:
Our "darkness bottle" shows a black sediment in its bottom resulted from anaerobic heterotrophy organisms that use the cellulose from the filter paper as a carbon source and can grow under this conditions. On the other hand we have our "light bottle" that clearly shows a more developed black area on the side that has been exposed to light and reddish lines in the limits of this area. On the surface of the first bottle we have turbid water that doesn´t appear on the second one.
 |
| Light column |
 |
| Darkness column |
We'll come back with the latest news!
What causes the sediment to be black?
ReplyDelete