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EcoSphere
Alpha was sealed on the same day it was assembled in
this two-gallon pickle jar. Started in August
of 2005, the culture contained water, mud and rocks
from the Racquette River in Potsdam, New York.
I didn't think to keep a log or photo gallery of
this project. The picture at left is from
November 2005 and the one on the right is from
January 2007. The entries, below, are a
more-or-less accurate account of the evolution of EcoSphere Alpha as I can remember it after 1.5
years.
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August 2005 |
It
was a hot day and this project seemed like
the perfect excuse for going over to Lehman
Park to take a dip. After filling my
wife's pickle jar (still a sore subject) to
within a couple of inches of the top, I
simply reached down and grabbed several hand-fulls of the mixed sediment at my feet as
well a small plant sprig. That evening, the
water was too murky to make out any signs of
life. |
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September 2005 |
For almost a month
now, I have been enjoying a varied array of
fauna from the barely visible to the
gigantic (by the standards of EcoSphere
Alpha) I've noted daphnia, various
crustaceans, two types of aquatic insects,
and animated dots too small to discern.
The leafy plant I included is doing well in
the indoor morning sun and desk lamp I've
provided. Not much algae bloom yet. |
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November 2005 |
A couple of
snails! They have grown large enough
now to be seen, I suppose. Algae
developed quite a bit in filaments along the
sides and bottom (and on the snails!)
Also Hydra have started showing up on the
jar sides. The leafy plant has shown
little progress. The couple of days I
put the jar outside this fall really
contributed to the algal bloom, I think. |
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May 2006 |
Recently small
snails appeared. Perhaps 10 of them. |
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August 2006 |
The last large
snail has died. I no longer see hydra,
and have not for some time. There are
still a couple of the 2-3mm long white
swimming insects. |
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January 2007 |
I have just now
re-examined the culture after 5 months of
neglect in indirect light. Algae has
died back somewhat, and the leafy plant is
still hanging on. Snails, crustaceans,
daphnia, and other small bits of fauna can
be seen and a surprise: worms in the mulm.
I had expected to find worms in the sediment
almost from day one and had not seen any to
my bewilderment. Today I saw a small
brown filament swaying between the rocks!
I will begin paying better heed to the
culture's illumination needs. |
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January 2008 |
2.5 Years old and
counting! Stability has been
the hallmark of the last year. The
visible populations of millimeter long white
worms on the glass, daphnia, assorted
crustaceans, and snails have made a lasting
truce it would seem. The snail
population now numbers about 10-20
individuals. One is larger than a BB
while all the rest are smaller than a
quarter grain of rice. Perhaps the
greatest limit to their population is the
amount of usable calcium for shell material? |
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June 2008 |
Check out some of
the citizenry of Alpha on my Biocam page.
The culture has lived outdoors ever since
danger of a hard freeze was past in a
partially sunny location. Things are
pretty much unchanged over the last year
with the exception of rigid, white,
thread-like, growths about 1mm long above
the water on the sides of the jar. I'm
not quite sure what they are at this point
but will post some good quality pics soon so
visitors can respond with their thoughts.
Ecosphere Beta is finally on my short list
of projects! Perhaps by August I'll
get to it! |
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