Winogradsky column lab page!


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Welcome to the Winogradsky column lab page! Students from the Departments of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina and Icthyology and Aquatic Environment, University of Thessaly, Greece and the Microbiology course, Faculty of Sciences, University of Cádiz, Spain, discuss their findings on Winogradsky columns they constructed!

If you want to add a post, please feel free to contact the blog administrators (Hera Karayanni, Sokratis Papaspyrou or Kostas Kormas)!



Καλωσορίσατε στη σελίδα των Winobloggers! Διαδικτυακός τόπος συνάντησης φοιτητών, φοιτητριών και διδασκόντων δύο Τμημάτων από την Ελλάδα: Tμήμα Βιολογικών Εφαρμογών και Τεχνολογιών, Παν/μιο Ιωαννίνων και Τμήμα Γεωπονίας, Ιχθυολογίας και Υδάτινου Περιβάλλοντος, Παν/μιο Θεσσαλίας και ενός από την Ισπανία: Σχολή Θετικών Επιστημών, Πανεπιστήμιο του Cadiz. Παρακολουθούμε, σχολιάζουμε, ρωτάμε, απαντάμε σχετικά με τα πειράματά μας, τις στήλες Winogradsky!


Bienvenidos a la pagina web de los Winobloggers! Aquí los estudiantes y profesores de dos departamentos griegos, el Departamento de Aplicaciones y Tecnologías Biológicas de la Universidad de Ioannina y el Departmento de Agricultura, Ictiología y Sistemas Acuáticos de la Universidad de Thessalia, junto con los estudiantes de Microbiología de la Facultad de Ciencias en la Universidad de Cádiz, se reúnen para observar, comentar, preguntar y responder a preguntas relacionadas con nuestro experimento, la columna Winogradsky.


Winogradksy columns

Winogradksy columns
'In the field of observation, chance only favors the prepared mind' Pasteur 1854

Blog posts

Friday 2 June 2017

UCA_5B_3: Day 30 (Germán López Toledo & Miguel Bruzón Lobatón)

Winogradsky column


Our Winogradsky column can be differed after two months in three different sections. It has been developing from a large methane producer to a Hydrogen sulfide one, it can be observed because purple sulfur bacteria. This acid is made by the sulfate reducing bacterias. 
The first section to be explained is the purple sulfur bacteria. Firstly the iron sulfate was created, but when the iron was spent , the sulfur had to reaction with hydrogen. This compound goes up to the water in order to get de-coupled. When it was enough concentrated the bacterias started to grow and that is why the water has this distinctive purple  colour. This hydrogen sulfide makes its characteristic rotten  eggs´ smell.
The second section to be described is the acid bearing cyanobacterias. They have to bear acid because there is a high hydrogen ions, if not, they would not multiply. It can be inferred  due to its green colour and the pH in which they have life.
First and second column
The third to be explicated is sulfate reducing bacterias.This microorganism uses the calcium sulfate to make the anaerobic breath. It reduces the sulfate into sulfur. This sulfur reactions with the iron contained in the mud changing the color´s mud into the current black. This bacterias´ group are strict anaerobes for what the grow on the bottom, where oxygen can not be found. Furthermore they forced the others to adapt to the acid environment. This happens because of the sulfate excess and the lack of iron enough; so, like aforementioned, the last electrons aceptor´s, sulfur reaction with the hydrogen forming the hydrogen sulfide.

Winogradsky column is a perfect experiment of how a environment can be created and stabilised without introducing any new microorganism, but with new compounds. Moreover it shows that one bacteria´s leftover is the raw material of other. We would like to enhance how these simple life can work together in order to benefit from each other. It is the perfect example of microscopic economising.

1 comment:

  1. You have a very nice looking column. Purple and green sulfur bacteria at the top and lots of sulfate reduction occurring at the bottom.

    The rest of the post unfortunately is difficult to comprehend. To which acid are you referring to? Hydrogen sulfide? Can you check if this "acid" or the reaction that produces it actually increase or reduces the pH of the medium? What is the typical pH of marine sediment?

    Let's see how your column evolves.

    ReplyDelete