The text describes a 100-day experiment where a person creates a desert ecosystem in a tank, introducing various animals such as darkling beetles, a queen harvester ant, geckos, and other creatures. The environment is controlled, with simulated events like sandstorms and monsoons. The ecosystem evolves, with life and death cycles, predator-prey relationships, and adaptation. The population of ants grows, and an ant lion is introduced to control them. A camel spider is added as a final predator. By day 99, the ecosystem is in balance, but the animals outgrow their tank, and the experiment is concluded.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The tank was initially empty and was transformed into a desert ecosystem over 100 days.
2. The ecosystem included darkling beetles, harvester ants, and other animals.
3. Darkling beetles have the ability to collect water from the air by angling their backs and collecting water droplets.
4. By day 4, the beetles were not the only life in the tank, as an underground empire of harvester ants was established.
5. The queen harvester ant was raising her first batch of young and needed food.
6. Dermestid beetles were introduced as a food source for the ants and were at the bottom of the food chain.
7. A coyote skull was introduced as a food source for the dermestid beetles.
8. By day 35, the beetle population began to boom, and beetle larvae were introduced.
9. A predator, a dune gecko, was introduced to control the beetle population.
10. The geckos began to dig out the coyote skull and transformed it into a sanctuary.
11. A sandstorm was simulated, and the tank was coated in a thin layer of red sand.
12. Dormant fish eggs were uncovered in the ravine and needed only a little water to hatch.
13. By day 45, the beetles were still overpopulated, and a new predator, a tarantula, was introduced.
14. The geckos were hunted by the tarantula, and one gecko made a run back to its burrow.
15. By day 60, the dry season was at its peak, and many of the leaves had turned yellow.
16. The ant colony was the only animal unaffected by the drought and had tripled in size.
17. A monsoon was simulated, and the tank began to flood.
18. Animals had to seek higher ground, and the dormant fish eggs hatched.
19. By day 69, the rain had triggered a breeding season, and underground, the geckos laid their first clutch of eggs.
20. A new animal, a camel cricket, was introduced, and it called for a mate at nightfall.
21. The camel cricket did not survive the night, but its body was used as food by the ants.
22. The female camel cricket laid eggs, and a new generation was born.
23. An ant predator, an ant lion, was introduced, and it constructed a field of traps to catch ants.
24. The river was teeming with life, including fairy shrimp and killifish.
25. The mother's life cycle was complete, and her eggs were safe underground.
26. A final predator, a camel spider, was introduced to control the beetle population.
27. The animals were outgrowing their desert home, and the simulation was ended.