Growing soil microbes
In this activity, students investigate microbial presence in soil by building a habitat suitable for their growth.
Known as Winogradsky columns, mud, newspaper and eggs create a variety of habitats that promote the growth of soil bacteria and algae. With time, sulfur and oxygen gradients form and a diversity of microorganisms grow in response to these conditions, often forming distinctive colour bands.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
demonstrate that the soil is home to many microorganisms.
explain that microbes grow in response to different needs such as light, oxygen, no oxygen and various energy sources.
Download the Word file for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
discussion questions
student handout.
