miniBIOTA is an interconnected living biosphere built to investigate ecological processes and relationships at observable scale. Its biomes are functional habitat analogues: their names describe recognizable environmental conditions and vegetation, without implying exact reconstruction of a particular natural community. Habitat design and species selection consider ecological roles, compatibility, and observed outcomes.
Studio Craft & Origins
miniBIOTA is designed, built, and documented by Josué Gimbernard, its sole builder and operator. His background spans Air Force avionics, architectural drafting, custom cabinetry, mechanical engineering study, and commercial water-feature fabrication.
The project began in late 2019 as a hands-on way to study ecological systems: cut the cabinetry, drill the glass, route the plumbing, introduce living communities, then document what changes.
During earlier active cooling runs, humid air condensed against chilled atmosphere-tank glass and filled tipping buckets that returned water as rain. The chiller is currently offline for pump repair, so that demonstrated cycle is presented as operating history rather than a live claim.
The full enclosure photograph shows the six habitat chambers and four upper atmosphere-processing tanks. The notes below explain systems that run above, behind, and within the cabinets.
Four vertical 29-gallon processors sit above Biomes 2 through 5. Under active cooling, humid air condensed against their rear glass and collected in tipping rain reservoirs; that cycle is paused while the chiller pump is repaired.
Rain-driven drainage runs from Prairie through Lakeshore to Freshwater Lake. Passive subsurface connections are bidirectional and equalize water levels.
Freshwater and marine water networks remain separate, with a shared atmosphere and emergent surface connection between Prairie and Mangrove Forest.
A stepper-motor-driven mechanical displacer in Seagrass Meadow generates programmable bidirectional surges with Marine Shore.
ESP32 nodes provide public temperature and humidity context for Biomes 2 through 5 and their atmosphere tanks. Several probes are under remediation, so missing readings remain visibly unavailable.
Microbial biofilms, mangrove root zones, macroalgae, and sediment-dwelling detritivores perform biological filtration and organic-matter breakdown within their habitats.
What the enclosure was built to do, what has been demonstrated, and what is currently under repair.
Rain-driven drainage runs from Prairie through Lakeshore to Freshwater Lake. Passive subsurface connections are bidirectional and equalize water levels. On the marine side, mechanical wave displacers generate bidirectional tidal surges between Marine Shore and Seagrass Meadow.
With the chiller operating, cooled rear glass condensed water vapor into droplets that filled tipping buckets and returned rain to the biomes. The chiller loop is currently offline for pump repair.
Instead of chemical canister filters, the system relies on biological work: microbial biofilms, deep mangrove aerial root networks, macroalgae nutrient uptake, and sediment-burrowing detritivores that recycle organic matter.
Start with the living system, then follow the records that show how it changes. The biosphere, species pages, and chronicles each reveal a different layer of the same connected world.
The FAQ answers common questions about the biosphere, species, biome weather, engineering, and support. For new observations and build updates, follow the project channels below.
Read the FAQ