I
was able to collect plankton from three different locations for this
project. These spots were Nahant, MA, and Rye, NH.
I took
different samples from each spot. At Nahant, they were both
oceanic samples. While at Rye, I was able to get a sample
from
the ocean, as well as a marsh. Because we were only at each
spot
once, I was only able to go at one time to collect the plankton.
Luckily, I was at each location fairly close to sundown,
meaning
that the plankton were hopefully closer to the surface. I
also
wasn't able to go into the water, as it was substantially colder than
Bermudian waters. I did however have the luxury of a long
rope so
I could toss the net out in to the water. Even with this, I
did
find myself having to either wade out into the water or getting some
wave action. The samples from this plankton net were much
smaller
(five times) than the samples I collected in Bermuda.
Therefore,
I threw the net in 5 times, and called that one sample, which was
250mL. Each sample was put into a Poland Springs water bottle
for
lack of a better option.
Methods
for Fixation:
Pour seawater into a 100 micron filter
Pour sample into filter
Rinse filter Petri dish using a graduated cylinder with 70%
ethanol and 30% freshwater
Pour solution back into filter
Rinse filter back into Petri dish using just freshwater
After
the plankton were fixed, I went through each sample and tallied what I
saw. However, because there was so much plankton, I had to
narrow
down my sample size. I did this by taking 5 samples with a
pipet.
In order to make sure I got a random select, I would first
stir
up the sample and take my smaller sample before anything had the chance
to settle. In order to count the amphipods, I simply
collected
them and sorted them in another dish, as they could be seen with the
naked eye.
