| 1. Locate two sites
where the amount of sunlight and water are different. These would have
different numbers of algae. Make a labeling system for each of these
sites using numbers or letters in order to identify the different
samples from these sites (ex: Site 1, Sample A) |
| 2.
Mark 8 glass
microscope slides with a line across one side, 1.5 cm from the one end.
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| 3.
Label 8 flags with
the site number and the sample number. You are going to use the flags
and slides that go together, and put four pairs of flags and slides in
different places in each site. |
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| 4.
Label 8 bags “soil
samples” and another 8 bags “algae samples.” Each set of 8 bags should
be labeled in the same way as the flags. |
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| 5.
Make a site map
for each site with important landmarks on each map. This is used to mark
the location of the samples within the sites for finding the samples
later. |
| 6.
Take the 8 glass slides,
the 8 sample algae bags, and the 8 sample flags for each site
outside and place one slide, long end down, in 4 different spots in both
sites. Push the slide into the ground until the ground is level with the
marked line. Mark this spot on the site maps. |
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| 7.
Place the
matching flag next to the slide to make it easier to collect at a
later time. |
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| 8.
After all algae
slides are in place in the soil, let slides sit in the soil for 5 days. |
| 9.
After 5 days,
CAREFULLY remove the slides from the soil and rinse off the extra dirt
particles and debris using distilled water. |
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| 10.
Take 2 additional
clean slides and rubber-band them on both sides of the algae slide for
each sample,
sandwiching it between the two. Label one of the top slides with the
site and sample number that is on the flag. |
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| 11.
Place each one of
these rubber-banded sandwiches into their matching plastic bags for
the purpose of bringing inside. |
| 12.
Using the
soil core, take a 6 cm deep, 2.3 cm wide soil sample from the exact
spot where each algae slide was inserted. |
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| 13.
Place each
sample in the “soil sample” labeled bag that matches the site and
sample number on the flag. |
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| 14.
Back in the
lab, place the bags of soil aside, and carefully remove the rubber bands
from the packets of slides and dry off the outside of the packets.
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* the pH test and
phosphorous tests for each sample need to be done at the same time as the
algae is being counted for that sample * |
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Algae
Count |
| 15.
Keeping the
three slides together,
place them carefully on the stage of a compound light microscope. |
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| 16.
At 40X, count the
number of algae (will have a blue-green hue) in the field of view and
record. |
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| 17.
Move the
slide to a different field of view and repeat step 16. |
| 18.
Repeat steps 16 and
17 until at least 5 unique fields of view have been counted and
recorded. |
| 19.
Average the 5 algae
counts for each sample, and divide each of these averages by 17.3 mm2
to determine the number of algae per mm2 of soil. |
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pH
Test and Phosphorous Test |
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20.
Use a LaMotte test
kit to perform the necessary pH and phosphate tests for each sample.
Record the pH (#) for each sample and the phosphate levels for each
sample (ppm). |
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| 21.
Repeat steps 15-20 for
the other three samples in each site. |
