Microbial communities in ponds yield metabolic byproducts that are needed by

other organisms within the environment to survive. The mutual relationship of the
organisms can be observed and their byproducts can be studied using a Winogradsky
column. The column serves as a model of the microbial environment.

Winogradsky column is small-scale ecosystem that represents various ecological

conditions. It was developed by Sergei N. Winogradsky, a Russian bacteriologist in 1880.
The column is made up of a transparent cylindrical container that is filled with soil and
marine or freshwater. The column is sealed to avoid evaporation. The column is exposed
to sunlight to encourage the growth of the phototrophs. These components will supply the
needed information to examine the gases found in the aerobic and anaerobic zones. Also,
the various gradients (light, temperature, oxygen and hydrogen sulfide concentration, and
nutrient gradients) result in the continuous interaction of the microorganisms with the
environment until finally, it creates a strata of microbial populations in the column.

The appearance of the zones in the column happens after six to eight weeks of
microbial growth. Winogradsky columns shows the symbiotic relationship of different
microorganisms in complicated communities in order to grow and survive. In this exercise,
the students aim to create a model microbial ecosystem where a complex microbial
community processes affect the surrounding environment, to gain an appreciation for the
diversity of methods microorganisms use to gain energy from oxygen-producing
photosynthesis and bacterial photosynthesis, and to illustrate the carbon and sulfur cycles
as it occurs in a Winogradsky column.