Question

(10 marks) Question 4 The experimental Biosphere 2 failed because of lack of understanding of microbial processes. CO2 and N20 levels were extremely high and O2 was about half its natural level. Biosphereans became deficient in vitamin D. Using your knowledge of microbial process, explain why this occurred and how you could rectify these problems.

Answer 1

As the main purpose of setting up this mini biosphere (Biosphere project 2) was to understand ecological system of earth artificial arrangements were were to set up artificial ecological system but natural resources were also used like soil plants animals along with machines and other control system .

All this was not able to maintain similar environmental parameters because of absence of similar intricate food web system as on earth . Carbon dioxide fluctuated immensely due to microbes of soil , water and dominated respiration at night and artificial CO2 scrubber were used to deal with this .

Glazed roof did not allow proper UV radiation for vitamin D synthesis .

As we know microbes especially cyanobacteria dominate plants in oxygen production most of the biosphere 2 producers were land plants only . No proper arrangements were there for recycling process by decomposers so oxygen kept on decreasing and green houses gases increased .