Challenge > Make a Marine Ecosystem Diorama Challenge Winners

OLogy Challenge! Hall of Fame with image of corals

Challenge #9: Make a Marine Ecosystem Diorama
SEPTEMBER 2020 • CHALLENGE CLOSED

What a splash! We are so impressed with everyone's creativity.

Estefanía Rodríguez at a microscope and also underwater in scuba mask

Estefanía Rodríguez is a marine biologist. She studies the diversity of sea anemones and how they relate to each other and to other ocean creatures.

Our special guest judge is Museum scientist Estefanía Rodríguez.

Here are her top picks!

Hall of Fame Gallery

This Challenge was to use these instructions as an inspiration to make a marine ecosystem diorama of your choice.

Olivia G.

Age 9 | New York, U.S.A.
"The coral reef is known as the "rainforest of the sea." The coral reef covers 1% of Earth, but 25% of marine species live in the coral reef! Coral is not a plant. In fact, it is an animal! Coral reefs are the largest structure on Earth of biological origin. Coral Reefs are awesome!"
Judge's Comments:
Great science facts! Very nice diorama. I like that you chose many colors and different shapes to represent the other animals in the reef.
Reann N.

Age 9 | Israel
"Kelp forests are areas with large amount of kelp underwater. Kelp is very important as it is food and shelter for marine animals. Thousands of organisms live on the kelp and are eaten by the fish. At the top, the California sea lion feasts on fish. Other fish don't eat kelp but hide from their predators in the kelp. Unfortunately purple sea urchins are devouring the kelp because sunflower starfish are killed off by a disease. Another predator of the purple sea urchins are the sea otters but they were nearly hunted to extinction."
Judge's Comments:
Great science in this kelp forest ecosystem and awesome artwork! I like how your explanation shows how important is every creature in the ecosystem to maintain its balance.
Carolina & Gabriella F.

Ages 7 and 6 | New York, U.S.A.
"This is a marsh in Hilton Head Harbour, South Carolina. A marsh is a wetland with plants that can live in the water, looking like high grass but half underwater. Many little animals and insects live here, like fish, dragonflies, frogs, and little birds. All these animals and insects eat each other. The bird is a great blue heron and can eat them all. We did see this wonderful bird in that place in the summer, so the diorama is real! And it's funny that we did the heron in the diorama with marshmallows :)"
Judge's Comments:
Beautiful (eatable) art!
Armaan & Ren D.

Ages 11 and 9 | New York, U.S.A.
"Hello! Welcome to our Marine Ecosystems Project. Today, we will be discussing estuaries. An estuary is an area of water in which freshwater and sea water meet, creating brackish water. There four types of estuaries. They include drowned river valley (coastal plain), bar-built, tectonic, and fjord estuaries. Today we will be discussing Drowned River Valley (DRV) estuaries.
DRV estuaries are formed when rising sea levels flood river valleys. Some animals that live in DRV estuaries include shellfish, mollusks, fish, skunks, birds, and various types of reptiles such as snakes and turtles. Some plants that live in estuaries include cord grass, turtle grass, bladderwrack, and phytoplankton. Many aquatic and land animals breed their young in this environment. This is why estuaries are also called “nurseries of the sea.”
The plants found in estuaries provide food for many organisms including aquatic animals such as zooplankton, shellfish, and fish. Also, birds then eat the shellfish and fish. For example, salmon could eat cord grass and then bald eagles would then eat the salmon. These are examples of symbiotic relationships.
I want to show you a guided tour of our estuary diorama. On the left, you can see the ocean with some fish and shellfish. In the middle of the estuary, you can find our display of a rocky shoreline and the mixing of salt water with freshwater. On the right, you will see our river, where we put plant and animals which include insects, birds, and reptiles. Some of the birds we see here are great blue herons, bald eagles, and sandpipers. Some of the animals and insects shown here are dragonflies, butterflies, snakes, turtles, frogs, and skunks."

Judges Comments:
This is a fantastic project! The representation of the estuary ecosystem is very well done. I am impressed by the work done not only in the actual diorama but in the information provided about the ecosystem. Bravo!
Luke W.

Age 10 | Virginia, U.S.A.
"The kelp forest is an ecosystem full of kelp, fish, sea urchins, and sea otters. The kelp forest is a beautiful place with many kinds of fish. The kelp is eaten by urchins and fish. Then the otters eat the urchins' numbers down so they do not eat all the kelp, which means nothing starves."
Judge's Comments:
Great explanation about how important every animal is in the ecosystem to keep the balance. Lovely representation!
Raedyn

Age 10 | Virginia, U.S.A.
"The Great Barrier Reef is so nice. It is the biggest reef in the world! It is located in Queensland at the edge. The Great Barrier Reef has so many types of bacteria, plants, and creatures."
Judge's Comments:
Nice science and impressive amount of work put into the diorama, especially showing different animals at different depths!
Madelaine G.

Age 7 | New York, U.S.A.
"The Deep Sea: There is no sunlight and it is very cold.
Anglerfish: It has a flashing bioluminescence organ to attract fish and mates. They have large mouths and stomachs.
Viperfish: Its fang-like teeth impale its victims by swimming at them at high speeds. It uses bioluminescence as a flashing lure to attract fish.
Cuttlefish: It is a mollusk. It can change color to blend in. They have big brains and good eyesight but are colorblind. They squirt ink when scared.
Giant Tube Worms: They live at the edge of hydrothermal vents. They survive on bacteria trapped in their tubes.
Blobfish: A sedentary fish that waits for crustaceans to float by. It is found in Australian and New Zealand waters. It has a blobby looking appearance after being brought to the surface."

Judge's Comments:
Very nice representation and great explanations about the deep-sea ecosystem. I love the drawing and information of the blobfish!
Lola H.

Age 6 | California, U.S.A.
"Coral reefs are one of the most colorful things on Earth. Coral are animals that get attached. Lots of fish go around them and go in hopes to hide from bigger fish. I made coral out of clay and paint."
Judge's Comments:
Amazing artwork! I love the sunfish (a.k.a. Mola mola) and all the work you put into making the coral.
Renton M.

Age 5 | New York, U.S.A.
"This a coral reef diorama. I made it with only materials found in the house."
Judge's Comments:
So beautiful! Wonderful and very imaginative artwork.
Valerie S.

Age 5 | New York, U.S.A.
"We made a coral reef in the sunlight zone. We made a crab, a starfish, tube sponges, brain coral, fan coral, sea anemone, cone snails, and a lion fish. On the bottom below the lion fish we made a red table coral. The white balls on the walls are bubbles."
Judge's Comments:
Impressive artwork and detail! I loved every creature you made.
Hadley

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
"My ecosystem is the South Atlantic, off the South Carolina coast, which is part of the large marine ecosystem. It includes: algae, palm trees, and seaweed. There is a lot of wildlife living in the South Atlantic ecosystem, including black sea bass, weakfish, sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, octopus, starfish, stingrays, whales, and manatees that migrate north from Florida."
Judge's Comments:
Such an imaginative way of showing the differences between the surface and the rest of the ocean!
Deeptanava R.

Age 9
California, U.S.A.
"This is my marine ecosystem with coral reefs in the background. A 3D dolphin is visiting the reef and two fish are accompanying it."
Judge's Comments:
I wish I was so good at drawing!
Rowan E.

Age 7 | Wisconsin, U.S.A.
"Tour of my diorama: I picked deep-sea creatures, so there are deep-sea creatures swarming around. The deep sea is full of undiscovered things because it is so big, really, really deep, freezing, and super full of pressure. I picked the deep sea because I am very fascinated by it because there are so many weird and cool creatures that I haven't seen before.
Creatures in the diorama: One gulper eel, one eel in the back, two coral/plants, one shrimp, one spider crab, one cluster of thermal vents with toxin smoke but not toxic for some creatures like tube worms, there are two clusters of tube worms. There is also one isopod made of playdough.
My favorite animal I made was the crab because of its little claws, it was hard to make the claws. The special thing about the gulper eel I made is its giant mouth and if you want, you can make it think that its own tail is its food, and it can eat its tail. If you look in its mouth, there is a deep-sea fish in it, just ate. I used BIG lights shining through small holes in the top, it made it look like we were in a submersible. I really want to go in a submersible some day to discover new creatures."

Judge's Comments:
Your diorama of the deep-sea ecosystem is excellent! The creatures are awesome and I like your thorough and detailed explanations of the habitat and creatures. But more than anything, I like that you are fascinated about all the weird and cool creatures living there. Keep it up!

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Honorable Mention Gallery

Here are more marine (and freshwater) ecosystem dioramas that inspired us!

Hannah

Age 9
Iowa, U.S.A.
"Fish are swimming with coral reef, sea anemones, brain coral, and sea fans."
Judge's Comments:
Very good job representing the animals that for the structure of the reef! I love the anemones.
Catherine K.

Age 9
New York, U.S.A.
"This is my arctic marine ecosystem. It contains arctic wildlife, some of which are whales, fish, and polar bears. I picked this because some of the animals are endangered."
Judge's Comments:
Great idea to represent the different depths and layers in this ecosystem!
Brogan J.

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
"Marine Life"
Judge's Comments:
I like that you chose to represent several marine invertebrate groups in your project!
Caleb

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
"Freshwater Marshes"
Judge's Comments:
great representation of a freshwater ecosystem!
Cade

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
"The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth. It covers 53% of the sea's surface which in turn covers 71% of the world's surface. The deep-sea ecosystem does not have any plants due to lack of sunlight. There is little shelter outside of trench ridges. Some of the animals that live in the deep sea are the giant spider crab, the sixgill shark, the deep-sea anglerfish, the vampire squid, and giant tube worms. Since there is no plant life in the deep blue, the creatures rely on food from above such as whale falls, which is when a dead whale carcass falls to the ocean floor. Some animals may hunt for food such as the sixgill shark and the anglerfish."
Judge's Comments:
I like your giant tube worms! The deep sea is one of my favorite ecosystems. It's so interesting.
Lizbeth

5th Grade
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Great coloring and use of straws!
Claire

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Good job showing relationships in the ecosystem!
Dylan

5th Grade
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Great choice representing animals in the group that provides the structure to the coral reef ecosystem!
Iris H.

Age 10
California, U.S.A.
"Kelp forests contain many animals. In my diorama I made a jellyfish out of tissue paper and all of the other animals out of homemade air-dry clay. The sand is made out of dirt, grass, pepper, cat litter (unused), and flour."
Judge's Comments:
Very imaginative choice of materials!
Jane S.

Age 8
New York, U.S.A.
"In my deep sea, there are creatures such as: hagfish, dnipe eel, vampire squid, fangtooth fish, angelfish, and isopod. There are also plants such as: kelp, coral reefs, and nagapushpam flowers. There is tan-ish glitter as sand because of the grainy texture and rocks on the ocean floor. Most of these animals are new to me. The isopod lives on the ocean floor. There is light near the angelfish because of the little light on its head."
Judge's Comments:
Beautiful art! Don't let these sneaky sea animals trick you: although they look like plants, corals and "nagapushpam flowers" are actually animals!
Rachel

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
I like how you made the waves!
Coco

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
"Coco's Coral Reef"
Judge's Comments:
I really like the sea anemone living together with the clownfish. Nice job!
Madalynn

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Good use of shells, pictures, and models in your diorama!
Rylee

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Nice job! Your diorama reminded me to a seagrass meadow I was once diving in.
Nitesh N.

Age 8
Connecticut, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Very nice coral reef!
Owen S.

Age 10
New York, U.S.A.
"Hot Glue Habitat: This coral reef displays coral, rocks, shells, sea creatures, and marine plants."
Josh V.

5th Grade
Virginia, U.S.A.
"Josh Pond"
Judge's Comments:
A very nice diorama of a freshwater ecosystem!
Remy H.

Age 3.75
Washington, D.C.
"This is the Everglades. Lots and lots of mangroves and fish. Also a scorpion and a giant gator. A python to eat the birds, but birds don't eat candy so they probably won't eat our sand. There’s a fancy lightning storm and maybe a wildfire. The purple thing that looks like an octopus is the lusca, it lives off the coast of Florida, near bigfoot."
Judge's Comments:
Very creative and I bet it is also very tasty. Great job!
Matthew

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
I like the foreground and background!
Ricky

Age 10
Virginia, U.S.A.
Judge's Comments:
Very colorful river ecosystem!