User:Marshal G. MacCartney/Notebook/Biology 210 at AU

Identifying Protists and Algae from the Group 4 Hay Infusion Culture, 2015-01-21 (Unfinished)

American University Transect: Group 4, 2015-01-14 (Unfinished)

The amount of organisms through out the world keep increasing due to new organisms being discovered everyday. These organisms can live in a variety of places. At American University it will be observed what organisms are present in the soil all across campus. Due to the niche where this sample was taken it is predicted that there will be a decent amount of life such as bacteria, protists, plants, and animals living together in this one area.

Went to the group 4 transect site to examine the biotic and abiotic factors of the niche. A 20meter-by-20meter square was observed and from that the soil samples were taken from all over the site and combined in a 50 mL sterile conical tube. Returned to the lab with the soil sample and made Hay Infusion Culture. Comprised of 11 grams of the soil sample, 500 mLs of deer park water, 0.1 grams of dried milk in a plastic jar. Mixed ingredients for 10 seconds and left out in the lab with the lid removed.

The transect where group 4 took the soil samples was northwest of the soccer field in a campus garden that is gated off from the rest of the of the normal grass by a 10 foot plastic gate. Inside the transect area there are four separate boxes that vegetation could be grown in. At the time Brussels sprouts and Kale were being grown in two separate boxes of the four that were there. Soil samples were taken from each of the boxes as well as from two other sections of the transect outside the boxes. In addition to the soil that was collected rabbit feces, a Brussels sprout, Kale leaf, snow, a pine needle, a dead leaf and grass was included. All things went normal when making the Hay Infusion Culture.

Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors 1. Direct Sunlight 1. Grass 2. Frozen soil 2. Decomposing plant matter 3. Frost/ice on plants 3. Animal traffic/ waste 4. Four Vegetation boxes 4. Kale 5. Irrigation hoses 5. Brussels sprouts 6. Woodchips 6. Clover

Marshal_MacCartney_lab6_transect.jpg

This lab was merely the process of obtaining the soil sample and setting up the Hay Infusion Culture. From just inspecting it with the naked eye there is a lot of diversity in the soil sample and should provide a positive environment to allow living organisms to survive.

-M.M.

1/28/2015 Figured out M.M.