Problem:
What type of environment would have the greatest number of  ameoba?

Hypothesis:
If more decomposing material is present in a microenvironment, then more bacteria will be present and consequently more amoeba.

Methods
Materials:

Petri dishes containing a gel made from agar and water (no added nutrients).

Containers and tools for collecting the soil samples.

Soil samples from  six different microenvironments.

Sterile swabs and/or inoculating loops.

A culture of a suitable food bacterium, Enterobacter aerogenes.

microscope and/or steroscope

(optional equipment)  flex cam and TV monitor or computer hook up, digital camera

Procedure
Part I

• First we poured and labeled six sterile petri dishes with 20 ml. of prepared agar that was nutrient deficient.
• Next we selected six micro environments of varying decomposition.  The control was sand.      The five experimental sites were soil under pine needle dead fall,  soil around a decaying log, mud from the edge of a stream, soil around knee of living tree, and soil under a decaying squirrel.
• Next we inoculated each petri dish in the center with a pea size sample of each of the 6 soil types using a scoopula.
• Then using a sterile swab we carefully make a ring one centimeter in diameter around the bit of soil.  Between the soil and the surrounding bacterial ring there was a bare agar surface.
• Lastly we incubated the plates upright, at room temperature, for 48 hours.  Observations were recorded at intervals of 2 days, 4 days, and 7 days.  Observations were qualitative in nature, using the microscope, digital camera images, and written descriptions.

• As a result of setting up part I, we questioned the amount and kind of bacteria found in each of our soil samples.
• We obtained petri dishes made with nutrient agar containing cyclohexane (a fungicide), in order to isolate just bacteria.
• We then made a series of dilutions resulting in 1g soil /1000ml distilled water.
• The soil dilutions were then streaked onto the agar plates and incubated for 72 hrs. at room temperature.
• Qualitative observations were made and recorded.