On 11/2 we performed the Soil Ciliate Discovery lab. The purpose of this lab was to determine the soil ciliate biodiversity within the soil samples. We learned about the role ciliates have in the soil ecosystems.  The first step of this experiment was to weigh our dried soil samples. The mass was 30.8 g with the petri dish and 25 g without the petri dish. The mass of the wet soil was 33.2g. Next I calculated the percent water content using the equation wet soil-dry soil/wet soil times  100. The wet mass was 33.2 g, so did 33.2-25 divided by 33.2, times 100 to get the water content, which is 24.6%. Next I placed 3 mL of my soil in a tube and added sterile water to the 8 mL line. I shook my tube for about 4 minutes and placed 1 mL of the liquid into a microfuge tube. I spun the tube for about a minute and added the liquid to a clean glass tube. I placed the pH strip into the tube and observed the color. The color of my strip was more blue, so my soil had a pH of 7 to 7.5. Next I added a drop of texture to my soil sample tube. I then added sterile water to my petri dish with soil. I observed my petri dish under a dissecting microscope, but I was not able to find any ciliates or organisms. Some sources of error could be having too much soil in the petri dish. I found it difficult to see anything in the dissecting microscope because my soil is very thick and muddy. There were not a whole lot of gaps to see any ciliates. Today we were not able to determine the texture of the soil, but after 24 hours I will be able to do so. My partner Evelynne had soil that was different than mine. We both had a lot of large clumps in our soil, but overall her soil was more thin than mine. Her soil was not as muddy as mine when she added water. The ciliates we find in the soil samples can tell us about the diversity of ciliates in the soil. It is possible we may find protists, algae, flatworms, and other organisms. This provides information about ciliate abundance. My next step is to see if there are any ciliates in my petri dish tomorrow, and to figure out what the texture of my soil is. My soil is stored in the first lab table the the second drawer. It is labelled as LNMF1731.