Closed biosphere and ecosystems

By definition, the biosphere is the part of the land that has suitable conditions for life. Therefore all applications which are living matter such as plants, animals, microorganisms and fungi. Ecosystem is integrated part of nature, but it is not isolated and interacts with other parts of nature. The Earth's biosphere is smaller then the set of all ecosystems that together form a whole. The biosphere is not insulated from the surrounding planetary vacuum of space.

 

Microcosm - a small ecosystem of the window glass

 

What drove me to these considerations? In one of the windows of the old building caught my eye a bit green. It was in an enclosed space between the panes. The windows were facing to the north side, so here turned out a little scattered light. Probably some small slit in here dust and moss spores which then germinate. The water source was only irregular noncondensing windows.

 

A piece of moss removed from the window

 

After about 30 years after the construction of a building they are replaced windows. I decided that this window microcosm rescue and closer look. Since the windows were unscrambling but riveted, I had the diamond cut glass opening. On closer inspection it can be seen that the thin layer of dust grains is overgrown moss pakorienkami, where already pastonky grow straight up.

 

A closer look at the microscopic springtails

 

In yet closer examination under a microscope, I discovered the moss few springtails (Collembola). It is a soil-dwelling mites and leaf litter. On the very first first picture is seen even a small spider. It is left to zvlečok so there came as a minor, then there zržiaval a while and eventually shed. Hard to say whether the hunt springtails, or there was only a temporary hiding place. At least the springtails had to live there for a long time. It reminded me of an experiment Biosféra2 (wikipedia), where people lived a long time in a large greenhouse insulated from the surroundings.

A pack with a substrate ready for deployment moss

 

Mach I translated the prepared substrate in a glass container with a diameter of approximately 8 cm. At the bottom was fine gravel, a thin layer of charcoal and finally earth. Gravel and clay, I baked in the oven, let it boil and charcoal within the possibilities sterilized under a UV lamp.

Mach deployed in a closed vessel

 

Mach I divided the substrate surface into three islands. Then, the pot was left without intervention in the same place in the window. It is therefore a closed ecosystem, a small biosphere, which is hermetically insulated from the surroundings. The only thing that caused them scattered light.

Mach in a closed vessel about six months later

 

In the figure, the container after 6 months. Mach has advanced rapidly. I feel that the drainage gravel layers wane about a third of the water. Either it is bound in moss or container leaks. In the future I would like to create a completely isolated ecosystem, so that I would then sealed glass container opening.