Here is an updated look at my most active fall Winogradsky Column, which is still sitting in the window in my office. This is not a great shot, but you can make out some of the colors in the mud where there should be a mixed area of aerobic and anaerobic activity. This is especially true because I have so much water in this column. Not that much activity can be seen from possible anaerobes at the very base of the bottle, however a broad growth of clearly phototrophic organisms ( greenish, red mass) is growing on the side that always faces the window. I'm guessing that the lowest layers indicate some growth of chemoautotrophs, organisms that are using fermentation. Apparently my rubber band disintegrated and I'll have to get a new one. Also, I think it's important to note that there is no smell coming from this column, though there was a point in the past when it did have a distinctly unpleasent odor.

Spring Winogradsky Column

For the Environmental Microbiology Spring Course, I am posting a temperary blog on a simple Winogradsky Column. This one follows the very basic descriptions from this site: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/e/jel5/biofilms/winogradsky.html that has been recommended for the course.

I used mud from a growing puddle that has been forming right next to our pool over the last month and puddle water. I am using a glass vase that is smaller and filled greater than 2/3 of it with the mud. I used cut grasses/weeds that were growing right next to the puddle for the carbon source and cheese for the sulfer source. These were the only materials that I used in this one. We'll see what happens. I am going to try and put this column up against a light source for the duration. There is a small airspace at the top of the column.

The top of the column, being in touch with the airspace and water is already aerobic, but it is anaerobic at the bottom and mixed inbetween. If everything works correctly, and I have sulfate reducing bacteria in the mud, they will settle towards the bottom, more anaerobic section of the column and produce hydrogen sulfide gas.

Mixing the mud, grass, and cheese:

New column in glass vase. I had to work pretty hard to get all the air pockets out of this one, so bad choice overall, but I still like the way it looks.

One more of just the column before going back to the window sill: