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How to Make a Circulating Ecosystem Project

Ecosystems require a wide variety of plants, animals, living and non-living organisms to survive properly. They rely on the renewal of life as wells as the decomposition of death. Things that die feed decomposers, which create rich soil for plants to use. Herbivores eat plants and carnivores eat herbivores. Plants also provide shelter for animals and, when they die, animals provide nutrients for the plants. Ecosystems cycle constantly, both with the life cycles of living things and with the seasons. Creating your own circulating ecosystem helps illustrate this.

Things You'll Need

10-gallon aquarium tank
Gravel
Soil
Small plants
Water
Insects: optional
Small animals: optional

Instructions

- 1
  Study the different biomes of the world and decide where you want your ecosystem to fall. Biomes are world climates and each one is made up of many different ecosystems. For best results, choose a biome region similar to the one in which you live.
- 2
  Layer about 1.5 inches of gravel in the bottom of your aquarium. This helps the ecosystem drain and prevents unnecessary mold and mildew from developing.
- 3
  Add about 4 inches of soil on top of the gravel. The soil you choose depends on your chosen biome. For instance, a temperate biome requires rich, dark, moist soil. For a desert biome, you need sandy soil graded for cactuses.
- 4
  Plant small plants inside the aquarium, spacing them about 4 inches apart. Choose just a few plants from your chosen zone. For a tropical ecosystem, you may want to pick a few colorful flowers, like tropical orchids. In a desert ecosystem, try a few succulents and cacti varieties.
- 5
  Water the aquarium according to your chosen region. A desert ecosystem may only need a good flush with water every month or so, but a tropical ecosystem may need light misting every day.
- 6
  Set the ecosystem in the right amount of sunlight and under the right temperatures. For instance, set a desert ecosystem in bright, constant sunlight with very hot temperatures. Place a tropical system under partial shade with warm temperatures.
- 7
  Change the temperature and "length" of days in your ecosystem to get it to cycle. For instance, you can lower the thermostat in the room and draw the blinds early in the day to simulate winter. Watch how your ecosystem reacts. Turn up the temperature and place the system in light for long periods to simulate summer.
- 8
  Add animals to your ecosystem if you have a lot of time to dedicate to them. Small insects, reptiles and very small mammals make practical ecosystem additions. Watch how they react to temperature and light changes, also, but never change conditions suddenly or drastically. You must take care of living creatures and help them survive.

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