IB Biology: Building a Sustainable World [Practical 5] NAME:

In order to study ecological systems in a more controlled, lab-based setting, biologists set up models called mesocosms in
which they attempt to replicate the aspects of a certain ecosystem in a completely closed-off environment. The largest and
most famous example of these mesocosms is ‘Biosphere 2,’ built and run in the middle of the Arizona desert by the
University of Arizona. Biosphere 2 is the size of nearly three football fields in area. The mesocosm that you will build today,
as one of the several required lab practical activities of the IB Biology curriculum, will be much smaller but it will hopefully
have a similar ability to model and sustain a miniature ecosystem.

Materials:

 2 large plastic bottles  Small insects or spiders

 1-3 Grapes or other fruit  Small Plant
 Elodea plants  Hot Glue gun
 Water  Scissors
 Soil  Water snails
 Seeds

Procedure:

1. Take the first plastic bottle and fill it 1/3 to ½ way with water. Place 1-2 water snails
into the bottle along with several sprigs of Elodea (water weeds);
2. Take the second plastic bottle and cut it in half;
3. Place the top part of the cut bottle over the top of the first bottle that now contains
the aquatic part of your ecosystem (see picture) and hot glue to seal;
4. Fill in the top part of your mesocosm chamber with soil, seeds, insects, and plants
as pictured to the right, around the opening to the lower bottle. You may need to
cut a flap out of the side of the upper bottle to do this. If you do, make sure to seal
the flap closed again after inserting the soil, etc.;
5. Place the lower half of the cut bottle upside-down over the top of the mesocosm
chamber to seal the top bottle opening. Use hot glue to seal into place.

Analysis Questions:

1. Why is it important that our mesocosms be transparent (clear / see-through) instead of opaque?

2. Explain the roles of the following organisms in maintaining a sustainable mesocosm: autotrophs, saprotrophs,
detritivores, and consumers:

3. How are we ensuring that the oxygen supply is sufficient for aerobic organisms even though the mesocosm is sealed?

4. How can we help limit the suffering / harm to animal organisms in the mesocosm?
TABLE 1: Mesocosm Observations
Day Observations

 Was your mesocosm sustainable? Explain why or why not based on your observations.