Objective:

The objective of today’s lab was to measure soil characteristics as well as ciliate diversity and abundance. Our goal is to understand where and how ciliates get their nutrients and to possibly identify what environments make it possible for them to thrive.

Purpose:

The purpose of lab is to be able to calculate soil water content, create non-flooded plates and determine the pH of the soil. After learning how ciliates function and knowing what environments have the most diverse groups of ciliates we will be able to possibly understand their true functions and why they are a vital part of the ecosystem.

Procedure:

1.) Retrieve your original soil sample that was collected during the first week of class from the drawer the that it is located in (if you do not remember where you put it, check the first entries of your lab journal and should be noted somewhere).

2.) Weigh your sample on a balance and record the data. Look back to the first lab and find the original weight of your sample and calculate the percent of water. You can do this by subtracting the dry soil from the original weight of the wet soil and dividing that number by the wet soil. Then record what you got in your lab journal and add it to the class data sheet.

3.) Create a non- flooded plate and saturated the soil with sterile water. There should be just enough water that when you slant the plate a small pool collects to one side rather than there being so much water the entire plate is just a pool of water.

4.) Observe the non- flooded plate using the dissecting microscope and look to the edge of the water that has pooled together for ciliates. It is common to not see any ciliates but make sure to record all initial observations made in your lab journal and remember that excystment takes place within 24-48 hours and more ciliates maybe be seen after that time period.

5.) Obtain a falcon tube and fill the first 3mL with the soil from your sample and then fill with water to the 8mL marker. Label this falcon tube with your initial. course number, and semester year (KSA31F17). After you have a filled falcon tube, shake it and the let it sit so that the sand, silt, and clay can settle and the soil texture can be calculated.

6.) After the soil from the falcon tube has settled for a little bit, pipet 1mL into a micro centrifuge tube and put it in the centrifuge for one minute so that are the sold particles within the water create a pellet at the bottom of the tube.

7.) Pipet out only the liquid carefully so none of the pellet from the bottom is obtained. Pipet the liquid into a small glass bottle.

8.) Obtain pH paper and place a small amount of it and place it in the small glass bottle with the water from your sample. Shake the glass bottle until the pH changes color. Review the pH color wheel to determine the pH of your sample and record it in your lab journal.

9.) Return back to your falcon tube that has been sitting and add one drop of the soil texture into the tube and shake once more. Place the tube in the green rack on the counter and let it sit until next lab, this will enable you to actually calculate the soil texture during the next lab.

Data/Observations:

Mass of Empty Petri Dish- 5.7g
Mass of Petri Dish with Wet Soil- 35.5g
Mass of Wet Soil- 29.8g
Mass of Petri Dish and Dry Soil- 28.0g
Mass of Dry Soil- 1.8g
Percent of Water Content- 6.04%
pH- 6.5

My soil was very dry and needed a lot more water to even create the non- flooded plate compared to of individuals. The soil itself was very mulch like and had a lot of clumps, twigs, and even some small branches. The texture was very thick and it was a very dark color that resembled more of a black than a brown.

Current Storage:

My falcon tube is currently stored on the back lab counter within a teal- green stand with the other students falcon tubes and is label with my soil identifier, KSA31F17. The non- flooded plate is located in the same drawer it had been in which is located on the back left table on the second drawer on the front side facing the projector.

Future Goal:

After completing this experiment, our eventual goal will be to identify and extract ciliates from our soil sample and culture them. Following all of these procedures will also help us for any future research especially if that research is related to ciliates in any way. Using all the equipment and properly measuring things will help us create a foundation for any later laboratory research we may participate in.