Study Plankton under a microscope

Close proximity to the sea provides many opportunities for the Micro-Naturalist to enjoy endless viewing of spectacular subjects. Plankton is one of those topics.

How to do it?

I use a small student-grade plankton net launched by hand from the shore on a line to gather samples. I view them while the subjects are still fresh. By capturing images of the most interesting subjects I was able to research and identify the organisms from reference texts.

Where to get them?

The waters around Vancouver Island BC are easy sources of phytoplankton and zooplankton. With very little effort you can get fantastic forms of microscopic life into view. Even the sand is worth studying. But you could find them in a lake, a pond or pool.

The variety and quantity of organisms is different each time. There are examples of both phytoplankton and zooplankton in the samples. Care in handling the raw sample ensures that few of the organisms are damaged and of course only a small drop of water from the sample is examined at any one time (so the sample does not need to be very large).

Identification of Organisms

I refer organisms that I cannot identify to the Amateur Microscopy Facebook group where experts assist with identification down to the genus, and sometimes even to the species level. By keeping a lab notebook I keep records of the organisms I encounter, and make notes when they are identified. This provides a reference for later use when examples of the organisms are encountered again.