Copepod from a Plankton Drag
Mar 23, 2017 • 7:27 PM UTC
199-101 W Franklin St, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
140x Magnification
Microorganisms
Maggie_M
I am a first-year graduate student in an Applied Marine and Watershed Sciences masters program at CSU Monterey Bay. I am interested in examining the natural world on all available scales. I have worked extensively in science museums, and I deeply believe in the value of informal science education that allows learning and exploration of nature through play and hands-on discovery.
3posts
0comments
1locations
I found a marine copepod with my foldscope! This little guy was collected from seawater from Monterey, California.
Unknown Copepod
On March 2nd, 2017, my Marine Ecological Systems class out of California State University, Monterey Bay, took a field trip to perform a plankton tow.
We arrived at the Monterey Breakwater at 3:30pm, a sunny and warm afternoon with a slight breeze. Our instructor, Dr. Kerry Nickols, demonstrated how to set up and perform a plankton tow. We used a 30 cm diameter net with a mesh size of 202 microns, which is too big to capture most phytoplankton but will capture zooplankton. We took turns dragging the net through the water, and did not count the total length of the drag. We collected multiple samples of seawater in the cod-end, and ran the water through a 60 micron sieve before keeping it.
On March 2nd, 2017, my Marine Ecological Systems class out of California State University, Monterey Bay, took a field trip to perform a plankton tow.
We arrived at the Monterey Breakwater at 3:30pm, a sunny and warm afternoon with a slight breeze. Our instructor, Dr. Kerry Nickols, demonstrated how to set up and perform a plankton tow. We used a 30 cm diameter net with a mesh size of 202 microns, which is too big to capture most phytoplankton but will capture zooplankton. We took turns dragging the net through the water, and did not count the total length of the drag. We collected multiple samples of seawater in the cod-end, and ran the water through a 60 micron sieve before keeping it.
Dr. Kerry Nickols instructs her Marine Ecological Systems class in the use of a plankton net
Plankton net in action!
Dr. Kerry Nickols conducts the first drag.
After collecting our sample, we drove back to campus and used Dr. Nickols’ lab and equipment to examine our samples, first using dissection microscopes and then with our foldscopes. We discovered we captured lots of zooplankton, especially copepods and larval barnacles known as nauplius. We experimented with different techniques to prepare our samples. I ended up using glass slides and coverslips, but I think I will try to experiment with ways to preserve a space in the slide next time, as my samples kept getting squished. I did eventually use tape around four side to try to keep this space, but I wasn’t able to photograph anything from those attempts as I have a harder time keeping water in the slide.
After collecting our sample, we drove back to campus and used Dr. Nickols’ lab and equipment to examine our samples, first using dissection microscopes and then with our foldscopes. We discovered we captured lots of zooplankton, especially copepods and larval barnacles known as nauplius. We experimented with different techniques to prepare our samples. I ended up using glass slides and coverslips, but I think I will try to experiment with ways to preserve a space in the slide next time, as my samples kept getting squished. I did eventually use tape around four side to try to keep this space, but I wasn’t able to photograph anything from those attempts as I have a harder time keeping water in the slide.
Copepod!
Sign in to commentNobody has commented yet... Share your thoughts with the author and start the discussion!
More Posts from Maggie_M
Sand and Algae near Monterey Fishermen’s Wharf
0 Applause
0 Comments
Red algae vs. grass
0 Applause 0 Comments