Introduction

Materials were collected from strawberry creek, at the location closer to the Berkeley Downtown BART station. I am testing the effects of an excess of nitrogen fertilizer on the environment to see if it impacts acidity.

Winogradsky columns are fascinating and complex ecosystems that allow us to observe how soil microorganisms evolve and grow in their natural habitats. These columns are unique in that they allow us to study the metabolic and functional capabilities of microorganisms in real-time, often producing gases, colors, or other components that are visible to humans. By observing the physical and chemical changes that occur within the column, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between microorganisms and their environment.

Materials were collected from strawberry creek, at the location closer to the Berkeley Downtown BART station. I am testing the effects of an excess of nitrogen fertilizer on the environment to see if it impacts acidity. The column on the left in every image will be the column with a relative proportion of 30% fertilizer added to it, while the column on the right will have no fertilizer. Both contain water and sand/silt/clay particles from Strawberry Creek, as well as nutrients in the form of eggshells. The goal is to understand the impacts of fertilizer on pH and to see if over fertilization can have negative impacts on soil health and biodiversity.

IMG_3767.HEIC

IMG_3766.HEIC

Methods/materials used, and effect tested for

Materials

Since I could not weight/measure the grams of each item I was added, I have added the relative proportions of each material here. The Winogradsky columns were assembled with the following materials:

  1. Organic litter, including dead leaves and tiny branches/dirt were scooped 2 meters away from the stream where the sediment was collected.
  2. Sediment from a shallow portion of a running stream, showed in Figure 1.
  3. Eggshells, homogenized before distribution
  4. Generic nitrogen fertilizer
  5. Sandy particles, collected from the same site.
  6. Running water collected from the same.

Methods

I have added the relative proportions of each material here since I lack exact measurements (in g).