Bottle Habitat

For our Ecology segment we had to make a bottle habitat that included plastic bottles to hold pond water, dirt and rocks, and insects (optional). We had to use rope to allow water to get from one bottle to another (if we had multiple bottles), and sponge in any of the bottle openings. My groups bottle habitat was made out of a large cheese ball container, and two 2liter bottles. The cheese ball container is on one end with one 2liter cut into its side. The 2liter that comes our from the container is like a bridge that connects the container to the second 2liter. In the cheese ball barrel we put pond water and let one end of the rope rest just below the water line. If we follow the rope, we will enter into the "bridge" of our habitat which holds some dirt and plants that we took from bottle habitats of previous classes. From there the rope continues into the second 2liter which holds the same content as the "bridge". After weeks of letting the habitat grow and change we noticed a growth in the plants, and we also acquired a snail! I'm not sure how it got there but now it is there and living in the habitat. Our bottle habitat shows the natural process of plant growth and how an ecosystem can survive with the bare minimum. With water, a medium for organisms to grow in, and light, you get a sustainable environment.
(Example image not our habitat)

Co-Evolution

Today during class we did a very interesting and unorthodox assignment. We filled a beaker with a mix of beans, noodles, and split peas. Then we were separated into three large groups and labeled as birds. Our beaks were plastic silverware, one group got a fork, one got a knife, and the last group got a spoon. After throwing the bean mixture onto an area of the floor, the whole class had to use their "beaks" to scoop up any food they could get and put it into their stomachs (their cupped non-dominant hands). We only had 30 seconds to eat and once time was up we returned to our assigned groups and counted how many beans, noodles, and split peas each group got. At first it was obvious that the spoons had the advantage over the other types of beaks. Once numbers were plugged into excel we had to replace a couple people into different groups, these "birds" developed a fork or spoon beak through evolution. After a couple feedings, knives were left with one "bird", forks had about 8, if i remember correctly, and spoons led with 10 "birds". In the end spoons trumped all beak types. This activity demonstrated natural selection because it showed that birds with the most helpful and efficient beaks (spoons) would be most successful getting the beans. It also shows that if a certain specie isn't getting the life necessities it will try to evolve and adapt to a different life style with different necessities so it can survive. Survival can also depend on the cooperation of other members of the specie. If one bird was full they could help the other birds get more food. Or, if one bird is by all the food they could help the others by throwing it where they could get to it. I was apart of the spoons and that is the strategy we developed toward the end. One or two birds were in the middle of the mix scooping it toward the rest of the spoons behind him so we could "eat" and help our numbers. It was a neat way to get the idea of co-evolution and natural selection. I really enjoyed it and hope to remember it when the time comes for me to teach it to my class!