In my project abstract the method I used is as follows:
1. Label the jars 1-6, and fill the bottom of each jar with 1 inch of sand.
2. Fill each jar with purified water, leaving 1 inch of air space between the water and the top of the jar.
3. Place a thermometer in each jar so you can read it.
4. Place 2 acquarium plants in each jars labeled 1,2,3, and 4.
5. Place 2 snails in each jars labeled 3,4,5, and 6.
6. Screw the lids tightly onto each of the jars, and set them together in a safe place in the house,but don't put them in direct sunlight.
7. Record the date and time of day in your journal, and write a general description of the plants, snails, and the water in the jars.
8. Once each day for 14 days observe and record, the colour of the plants, the health of the snails, the water clarity, temperature, PH levels, and dissolved oxygen levels.
9. Come up with a number scale with explanations for judging the water clarity and colour.
These are the Observations I recorded.
Jars 3 and 4 did the best in terms of survival. They both lived the longest. The PH and oxygen levels only varied slightly and took a lot longer for this change to occur.
The plants started to turn yellow and some even brown at the end of the second week. This is because the small snails were not giving off enough CO2 for the plants to survive.
The plants in Jars 1 and 2 began to yellow very quickly. There was no source of CO2 being produced for the plants survival. The PH level changed from 7(normal) to 6.5 which meant that an imbalance was starting to happen.
The oxygen levels as well changed from 5mg to 2mg. This decrease indicates that the plants were not producing any oxygen there wasn't any CO2. These jars developed a very bad odour in the last few days due to the decaying plants.
The 3 of the 4 snails in jars 5 and 6 died at the end of the first week,but one was still alive. These two jars had the greatest change in PH levels. The oxygen levels had the greatest change as well (8mg-11mg).
From these observations I was able to conclude from this experiment that all living things need a balanced environment in order to survive.
As I predicted in my hypothesis, jars 3 and 4 had the best survival.
In these jars the snails needed the plants as a food source. The snails also needed the plants to produce oxygen. The plants in these jars needed the snails as a source of CO2 for their survival. In thes jars both snails and plants survived because they depended on each other.
There were some changes in the clarity of H2O, the PH levels, and the oxygen levels. This was due to the imbalance of the snails and plants.
When there are too many plants and no snails there is not enough CO2 to support the plants. When there are too many snails and not enough plants, the snails use up the oxygen faster that the plants can produce it.
Because of these findings, I can conclude that not only do plants and animals need each other for survival but the balance between the two is much more important for the long term survival of each.
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