The Ecosystem In a Bottle Science Fair Project

The ecosystem in a bottle is a well known science fair project that must have been done a million times. So why would you want to do it again – surely the judges won't be impressed. Aaah – but read on – this one is different.

True – you will still be using the classic experiment, but you will be comparing how adding or taking away something will affect the ecosystem and how a well balanced ecosystem works best.

Also, you will be shown how to beef up your project display by making an ecosystem model.

Ready?

Let's do science!

The project – step by step

The Question
Is balance in an ecosystem important?

The Hypothesis
In order for an ecosystem to survive and function there needs to be a balance between the organisms (plants and animals) in the system.

The Experiments

Make a model or diagram of an ecosystem.

Make a simple ecosystem in a bottle.

Finding the balance.

Why these experiments?
The model or diagram is simply a way to beef up your display to impress the judges. You can make a couple as examples of ecosystems other than the one you used for your main experiment.

The second experiment shows you how to set up a simple ecosystem with plants and bugs. You can use this to change as many variables as you can think off and see what happens.

In the third experiment you will use an aquatic ecosystem and by changing various variables you will show how important balance is in an ecosystem.

The Conclusion
With all these together, you can easily prove how important balance is in an ecosystem – and have a lot of fun at the same time.

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