Download The Ecosphere

The Ecosphere
A little piece of life
What is an Ecosphere?
• The ecosphere is a close ecosystem,
that don’t rely on matter exchange
with any part outside the system.
• Such systems are scientifically
interesting and can potentially serve
as a life support system during space
flights, in space stations or space
habitats.
What is in the Ecosphere?
• Along with shrimp, there is algae and
filtered sea water.
• The EcoSphere also contains decorative
shells, sea fans (corals and gorgonians),
and lightweight gravel as a part of the
working ecosystem.
How do Ecospheres Work?
• The EcoSphere is a tiny working model of
the Earth.
• It contains the same essential elements
that are found on our planet: air, water, life
(algae, microorganisms and shrimp) and
land (gravel and sea fan).
The Earth System
• The earth system is composed by The
Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and
Lithosphere.
• This three spheres compose the
Biosphere.
The Hydrosphere
• The Hydrosphere is the combined mass of
water found on, under, and over the
surface of a planet.
• The light from the Sun (insolation), causes
evaporation of the water on surfaces,
including oceans, rivers, lakes, soil and
the leaves of plants.
The Lithosphere
• The Lithosphere is the rigid shell of a
rocky planet.
• On Earth, it comprises the crust and the
portion of the upper mantle
Life in Ecosphere
• Life functions in the Ecosphere just as it
does on Earth.
• The shrimp live by consuming the algae
and breathing oxygen in the water.
• The algae survives by converting the
carbon dioxide and light into useable
oxygen which the shrimp will then breathe.
• In a closed ecological system, any waste
products produced by one species must
be used by the other species.
Do the Animals and Plants
Reproduce?
• Reproduction of shrimp does occur in
some Ecospheres, but this is uncommon
because they are too delicates.
• The algae and bacteria in the Ecosphere
continuously reproduce.
• In fact, you can expect changes in the
algae population in your Ecosphere.
How Long will the Ecosphere Live?
• The average life of an Ecosphere is
between 2 and 3 years.
• The life expectancy of the shrimps is
known to exceed 5 years, and the oldest
Ecospheres are now over 10 years old
and still going strong.