Exercise 2

Simulating the Environment with a Winogradsky Column

J.M.S. Raymundo, W.C. Ricafort, III, A.M.M. Role, M.D.S. San Miguel, C.C. Sumabat
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Espana, Manila,
Philippines
Objectives
This exercise is expected to achieve the following:
1.
2.
3.

To create a small-scale model ecosystem in which complex microbial communities and

processes can be visualized
To have a deeper understanding on the diversity of methods utilized by microorganisms to
obtain energy via photosynthesis
To diagram the carbon and sulfur cycles as it occurs in a Winogradsky column

Introduction
During the early years of the planet Earth, where the primordial soup of methane, ammonia,
sulfur, water, and the presence of oxygen is not yet found, Progenotes which are microbes has risen.
As billions of years go by, this progenote gave rise to the microbes of today and even to some
complex organisms. Coming from the word micro, a microbe is a living organism that cannot be
seen by the naked eye and usually needs a microscope to observe them. They either live as
individuals or cluster together in communities which can be called as colonies. Microbes live in the
water you drink, the food you eat, and the air you breathe, they are even inside our body especially in
our gastrointestinal tracts and these microbes are beneficial to us. Microbes include bacteria, viruses,
fungi, algae, and protozoa. The term microbe is short for microorganism, which means small
organism. Most of the diversity of life on Earth is represented by microbes.
As stated earlier, microbes are virtually almost everywhere and very abundant in numbers.
This being the case, it is easy to culture them or even make small biospheres for them to live on. One
example of this is the Winogradsky Column, which are pioneered by Sergius Winogradsky (18561953) and Martinus Willem Beijerinck (1851-1931). These scientists studied the relationships of a
microorganisms to another microoragnism in their communities. The column illustrates how different
microorganisms perform their interdependent roles: the activities of one organism enable another to
grow, and vice-versa. These columns are complete, self-contained recycling systems, driven only by
energy from light. Here, these microorganisms will show their independent ability. Only recycling
and reusing the energy taken from the initial compontents added to a simple plastic tube or column.
There will be a formation of different microbes from non-sulfuric to sulfuric and aerobic to anaeroic
bacteria. The setup is called a column since these different types of microbes will form in different

layers. By using this model we can observe biochemical cycles as well as the formation of different
microbes.
According to Rogan (2005), teaching the sulfur cycle in conjunction with the winogradsky
column exercise presents the opportunity to cover several important topics simultaneously. The
exercise links microbial processes, concepts of biodiversity, inorganic chemistry, biogeochemical
cyling, evolution and microbial ecology. This shows that the Winogradsky column greatly
contributed not only to the advancement of further studies but also to the field of education.
Another study concerning the field of education by Anderson and Hairston in 1999 which is
entitled The Winogradsky Column & Biofilms: Models for Teaching Nutrient Cycling & Succession
in an Ecosystem, tackled the importance of the column to give the students interest since the
biogeochemical cycles in textbooks are boring, thus giving the students a hands-on an interesting
way to observe and learn more about the microbial ecosystem. This exercise helps students to
conceptualize and interpret the changes going on under aerobic, as well as under low oxygen
conditions, and to identify chemical changes that affect the activities of the microorganisms from the
soil (Anderson and Hairston 1999).

Results and Discussion

Table 1: Observations of the Winogradsky column with the cover on
OBSERVAT WEEK 0
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
IONS
Odors
Smells like Smells like Smells like Sewerage
egg
rotten egg
sewerage
smell
Color of the black
black
black
black
soil
Condensatio none
present
Huge water Huge water
n on plastic
droplets
droplets
cover
Crust
none
none
Red, green, Red, green,
forming in
and white and white
the bottle
crust
crust
Film on the none
present
Thick white Thick white
surface
of
and green and green
the water
film
film

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

The odor of the winogradsky column started from a normal boiled-egg smell and progressed
to a foul, sewerage like smell in the third week. No change was seen in the color of the soil which
was black all throughout the first few weeks. Condensation on the plastic cover, crust, and water
surface film started to appear in the second week.
Table 2: Observations of the Winogradsky column without the cover
OBSERVATIONS
WEEK 0
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3

Odors

Smells like egg

Film over surface None

of
the
water
column
Crust build up in None
the column
Macroscopic
None
organisms

Foul odor, like Smells

like Smells
like
rotten egg
sewerage
sewerage
Thin green and With green and With green and
white film
red films
red films
Thin green crust
Algae seen

With green and With green and

red crusts
red crusts
Algae seen
Algae seen

Similar to the covered winogradsky column, odor started as fresh boiled egg smell to a foul,
sewerage like smell in the third week. Film, crusts, and macroscopic organisms were seen after one
week.
Conclusion

References:
Anderson, D. C. (1999). The Winogradsky Column & Biofilms: Models for Teaching Nutrient
Cycling & Succession in an Ecosystem (6th ed., Vol. 61). California: University of California Press.
Charlton, P. J. (1997). The Winogradsky plate, a convenient and efficient method for the enrichment
of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 30(2), 161-163.
Deacon, J. (n.d.). The Microbial World: Winogradsky column: Perpetual life in a tube. Retrieved
February 20, 2016, from http://archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon/microbes/winograd.htm
Retseck, G. (2013, September 19). Soil Science: Make a Winogradsky Column. Retrieved February
20, 2016, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-soil-column/
Rogan, B. (n.d.). Exploring the Sulfur Nutrient Cycle Using the Winogradsky Column (6th ed., Vol.
67). National Association of Biology Teachers.
The
Microbe
World.
(n.d.).
Retrieved
http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/microintro.htm

February

20,

2016,

from