APES 2022-2023

Diagnostic Evaluation September 2022

Objective 2: Application of Knowledge and Problem Solving
15 points

Eco-Column Lab
Eco-columns are one of the most fun labs for AP Environmental Science. Once set up, the eco-columns may be kept
going for many weeks and months, and provide data for several different topics of the APES course – aquatic ecosystems,
decomposition, general ecology, food webs and chains, water quality, inter-specific competition, etc. Data should be
recorded from the eco-columns on a regular basis, maybe once a week, for later and specific analysis.

For this ‘project’ you should work in groups of two or three students but, of course, each student must maintain a full
account of the ‘project’, from beginning to end, including all data records, analyses and interpretations.

You should create a Google Slide presentation, which you add to as you go along.
What you’ll need to build the eco-columns:
1. 5 x 2-litre soda bottles (for each group)
2. Box cutting knives
3. 3 x 2-litre bottle caps (for each group)
4. Plastic bowl in which to set up the eco/column
5. Dissecting needle and Bunsen burner or a hammer and a nail (for making holes in caps)
(John)
6. Growing soil – i.e. healthy! (John or from the huerto or pot soil from home)
7. Clear packing tape (John)
8. Drinking straw (about 1 inch long – one for each group) (John)
9. Small rocks or gravel – the sort for a fish tank (John)
10. Sticks, leaves, grass clippings, banana peel, etc. (for decomposition chamber)
11. Seeds (John)
12. Aquatic plant such as anacharis or elodea from an aquarium. (John can provide lemna
duckweed.)
13. Earthworms (John)
14. Small fish (1 per group) (John?)
15. Water snail (1 per group) (John)
16. Fish food (John)

Building the Eco-columns:

▪ Start collecting the bottles early!! Each group needs 5 bottles. 2 litre soda bottles are best and the bottles
should all be the same shape, in order to fit together. Have extra bottles ready – something is bound to
go wrong!
▪ Use the example column as a guide and also carefully study the images.
▪ Make sure the eco-columns are set up straight! If they are not straight, then they will have drainage
issues.
▪ For the decomposition layer, you can use fruit/vegetable peels or bits of food, but not citrus.

Assembling the Eco-Columns:

1. Cut the bottles according to the diagram and fit them together with the correct caps. DO NOT TAPE
YET!!
2. Terrestrial Layer – first place a handful of small rocks, then a handful of soil and then a few seeds.
3. Decomposition layer – first place a handful of small rocks, a little bit of soil, and then
sticks/leaves/grass clippings/banana peel, etc.
4. Put all the parts of the eco-column together and pour water in through the top. Let the water run all the
way through the column. Do this several times and watch for any clogged areas so they can be fixed.
5. Dump out the water from the bottom layer that you just ran through the column.
6. Put the parts back together and run water through it again until it fill up about half of the Aquatic Layer.
7. Put aquatic plants, fish and snail in the Aquatic Layer. Feed the fish through the small hole in the
aquatic layer.
8. Tape the column.
9. The eco-columns are prone to leaking! Take care! If you have an old washing-up bowl or similar, it is a
good idea to set up the eco-column in a bowl.
Hand-drawn but all the information and guidance which you need is here.