LIMITING ABIOTIC FACTORS AND ADAPTATIONS OF AN ECOSYSTEM.
After learning the theoretical content related to the structure of ecosystems, tolerance limits, etc., the 4th-year ESO students have organised themselves into teams of experts, with the following progress:
- Biology team:
They considered which organism/living being to choose for study in the laboratory and in the probe launch. For this the students brought in foods that had already started to decompose at home, to assess which fungus would be best to study in the laboratory.
They have finally chosen bread mould and are currently analysing its relationships and their influence on its regulation, to interpret the organism’s different adaptations as a result of these relationships, assessing the
importance of their balance. - Technology team: They worked out the design of the box in which the experiment will travel. It has not been an easy choice, as they weighed the use of a single material or several. The stability of the box and which design gave it the greatest sturdiness in the fall (with different drop tests and for different temperature/humidity conditions). They have also decided where to pass the cords that attach it for launch. They are now considering resizing the box, without losing the safety achieved, to reduce weight and be able to add a camera to the experiment.
- Press team:
It is preparing information posters and letters and contacting various local media, as well as the
Provincial Council, the Town Council and Caja Rural de Onda in order to publicise the project and obtain funding.
They have also created the logo for this project. - IT team:
Following the analysis of relationships and their influence on the regulation of the mould, to interpret its different adaptations, the biology team has told the IT team that different environmental factors need to be measured. Based on that information, they are studying the xChips needed and the best way of obtaining the information during the launch.
