OLogy: Make a Home for Microbes
OLogy: Make a Home for Microbes
Get some mud and a few other ingredients to build an entire ecosystem for bacteria.
How to Make a Winogradsky Column
Your body is home to trillions and trillions of tiny living things called microbes, and most of them live in your digestive tract. And no wonder, it is a warm and sheltered place filled with food — a perfect spot for bacteria! But not all microbes live in the same place. Based on the habitat they’re most suited for, different species of bacteria live in different parts of the tract.
Build an ecosystem for microbes to see how they separate into their own habitats. With just a few cupfuls of mud and other simple ingredients, you can create an entire ecosystem for bacteria called a Winogradsky column. In this sealed system, microbes reuse and recycle nutrients continuously. Over time, different species separate into visible layers depending on how they use—or don’t use—oxygen, light, and nutrients such as carbon or sulfur. Each bacterial species finds its habitat according to its needs—much like in your digestive tract.
OLogy (American Museum of Natural History)
Science Topics
Biology, Microbiology
K-6
Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade
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OLogy (American Museum of Natural History)
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Resource k12
OLogy: Make a Home for Microbes
Get some mud and a few other ingredients to build an entire ecosystem for bacteria.
How to Make a Winogradsky Column
Your body is home to trillions and trillions of tiny living things called microbes, and most of them live in your digestive tract. And no wonder, it is a warm and sheltered place filled with food — a perfect spot for bacteria! But not all microbes live in the same place. Based on the habitat they’re most suited for, different species of bacteria live in different parts of the tract.
Build an ecosystem for microbes to see how they separate into their own habitats. With just a few cupfuls of mud and other simple ingredients, you can create an entire ecosystem for bacteria called a Winogradsky column. In this sealed system, microbes reuse and recycle nutrients continuously. Over time, different species separate into visible layers depending on how they use—or don’t use—oxygen, light, and nutrients such as carbon or sulfur. Each bacterial species finds its habitat according to its needs—much like in your digestive tract.
OLogy (American Museum of Natural History)
Science Topics
Biology, Microbiology
K-6
Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade
What are you looking for?
Organization
OLogy (American Museum of Natural History)
Website URL
Type of Resource
Outside Activity
Tutorial
Tutorial