WE HAVE GROWTH!

Our columns were set up to test the hypothesis that different sediment sources will produce different communities in a Winogradsky column. To test this, variables such as mud source, light, volumes, amount of carbon and sulfur sources, nitrogen, magnets and air permeability were tested against the controls of duck pond mud, construction dirt, and a mix of both, while using duck pond water as our H2O source. 

Viola, we have growth! The video shows that not only did we have visible bacterial growth, but we also grew some worms. These worms hated to be disturbed, any movement of the column resulted in the worms retracting further down. 

These columns turned out better than I expected. Several different communities could be observed as bands of color throughout the columns. Some exhibited bands of what appeared to be iron sulfur bacteria due to the thick red band. Dark bands of sulfur could be seen as well as green sulfur bacteria that photosynthesize the available sulfur in anaerobic environments. All of these colors have been influenced by the different variables present in the column, which in turn influenced the favorable growth conditions for the observed bacteria!

 

(VIDEO)
https://weber.instructure.com/courses/441947/discussion_topics/1941122
(VIDEO)
Ryan Clay