Traps, New Microscope

Got a new scope so I can make observations of protozoans.

The first samples I took from an artificial pond beside a stadium, and it was a couple hours before I looked at it as I went out. The diatoms had mostly exploded, leaving their guts in the liquid and their empty glass shells behind. One amoeba like individual was still moving about, and one of the green-filled diatoms that glides along, as well as some oval or spherical case-creatures, but not many.

I missed this last weekend of sampling even though it's supposed to be every weekend. I am supposed to number the sample sites so I can have a rotation, as well as track the morning, noon and evening time visits, though I'd need to print off a map for that.

To get 1500 observations is a challenge; I have that many from over 5 years of iNat. To get that many species is harder, though if I mainly try to capture new ones I can get a ratio of 1 species per 2 observations; normally with intent it's more like 1 to 3 or even worse, 1 to 6. So going for doubles, I'd need 3000 observations over the year, and half of new things.

I intend to focus on the insects and the protozoa, and use the weeds to supplement, since I can't use the cultivated trees around here for this, and those are speciose groups.

I was thinking of getting some traps and doing trapping, but that would require an outlay of money, and my favourite methods are destructive (beating bush with sweep net, Tullgren funnels), and probably not therefore allowed, plus require some DIY in the case of the funnel, or expense. I considered a flight intercept / malaise trap out of tarp, but buying one is expensive; turns out a glorified tent is not cheap (neither are actual tents).

I could try pitfall traps; but I tried them in New York once and they did not work. I want to try yellow pan traps and see what the yellow is all about, but sticky traps are gross and so a no-go.

Publicado el 08 de octubre de 2021 por lsifer lsifer

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Vida Silvestre es una entidad asociada a la Organización Mundial de Conservación