HINUNANGAN CAMPUS

Ambacon, Hinunangan, Southern Leyte

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Email: cd_hn@southernleytestateu.edu.ph
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ESS 2101n – Soil Biogeochemistry

Laboratory Exercise No. 5

THE MICROORGANISMS

Name: ___________________________ Date Performed: _____________________

Course and Year: _______________ Date Submitted: ______________________

INTRODUCTION
If our bodies were small enough to enter the tiny passages in the soil, we would
discover a world populated by a wild array of creatures all fiercely competing for every
leaf, root, fecal pellet, and dead body that reaches the soil. We would also find predators
of all kinds lurking in dark passages, some with fearsome jaws to snatch unwary victims,
others whose jellylike bodies simply engulf and digest their hapless prey. But in that
world without light, our main sensory apparatus—eyesight—would be useless; we
would have to feel our way along the sometimes rough, sometimes slimy surfaces, listen
for vibrations, sniff the humid air, and taste the water for chemical signs that might mean
food—or danger ahead. Soil organisms find their food and communicate with one
another by sensing vibrations, surfaces, chemical gradients, and even electrical fields.
We will learn how these organisms interact with one another, what they eat, how
they affect the soil, and how soil conditions affect them. We will come to appreciate how
vascular plants live with “one foot in each world”—connecting the above and
belowground realms, and how plant roots are soil organisms that play many critical
roles in the life of the soil community. The central theme will be how this community of
organisms assimilates plant and animal materials, creating soil organic matter, recycling
carbon and mineral nutrients, and supporting plant growth (Weil & Brady, 2017).

OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of the exercise was to simply appreciate and discover
microorganisms’ existence in our daily living.

METHODOLOGY
In order to appreciate microorganisms’ existence, follow the steps below:
1. Get a newly cooked rice (about 5 tablespoonfuls) and a bread (any
kind of bread).
2. Put the cooked rice and bread on a small plate separately.
3. Keep it in a safe place that no one will touch.
4. Let it expose for 1 week. After one week, examine what happened to
the rice and bread.
 5. Inspect the growing molds: the white and black molds.
6. Take a video and make a video clip of all your activities from setting
up until the last activity. Also, take a photo of your bread and rice
before and after one week from the conduct of the experiment.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Note: In this section, simply put 1 best photo of the set-up before and after 1 week.
Briefly explain the methodology, explain what happen, and highlight your realizations
from the experiment.

CONCLUSION
Note: In this section, highlight your learnings from the experiment.

LITERATURE CITED