Invertebrates of Temporary Hilltop Rockpools - 2

The first dry pool to be examined on Bulls Hill Fire Trail revealed quite a few beasties (see journal post 1), and quite a few improvements to make in the method.
It also pointed out the difficulty of making non-expert identifications of microorganisms and mini-macroinvertebrates. There is limited easily available literature for many Australian taxa and many groups have little information. A steep and fragmentary learning curve.
On Sunday a new batch of material will be collected from a rocky hilltop behind Umina on the NSW central coast. Some years ago, following wet weather, the rockpools here contained large numbers of conchostracan crustaceans.
An improved container will be used to incubate the soil sample which keeps most of the sandy sediment out of the water. Mineral particles played havoc with microscope slide preparation.
I'll also be treating portions of the residue of water and organic residue from the first sample separately with;

1. hydrogen peroxide, and

2. nitric acid,
   to try to separate the frustules of diatoms from organic remains and to clear the organic portion of the diatoms. Hopefully this will allow a better chance to more confidently identify more of the diatoms present.

Still hopeful someone out there might find this interesting. All and any comments will be gratefully received.

Publicado el 23 de agosto de 2024 por spongeman