Explorers set up Windogradsky columns with local mud so that they can culture microorganisms. After three and six weeks they make observations of the mud and the organisms growing in it. In this way they observe succession and relate this to deep-sea chemosynthetic communities. To conclude, they write an essay on the importance of deep-sea organisms. The write-up does not include a lab sheet, but rather, it uses class discussion as a way to process observations and knowledge gained.