3.  Five standard sized glass microscope slides will be placed in each plot; 1 slide in each corner, and 1 slide in the middle. Before the slides are inserted into the ground, you have to draw a line 1.5cm from one edge and mark a line across the slide with a permanent marker (**do NOT mark anywhere else on the slide**). You should make 20 slides total. Also choose markers or flags to mark with the plot # and slide # and that you will plant into the ground next to its corresponding slide.

4.  Go to Site X and bring along the 20 slides, the 20 markers/flags, a trowel and a 2cm diameter soil core extractor. When you are ready to put your slides in the ground, first, stick the trowel into the ground to make it easier for your slide to go in. Place the slide in the ground so that the line you drew is level with the soil, and the long end of the slide is in the soil. Every time you insert a slide into the ground, take a 15cm deep soil sample using the soil core extractor directly next to where you put your slide in. Put the soil sample into a plastic bag marked with the plot # and corresponding slide #.  Place one marker/flag next to where you inserted your slide and took your soil sample.

Here is a video you can click on that shows you how to properly insert your microscope slides into the soil.
algaeslidemovie.mp4

5.  Once you have placed all of your slides and flags, and gotten all of your soil samples, take the soil samples back to the lab. Immediately begin the Extraction Procedure with a soil chemical test kit which will allow you to test for nitrates in the soil. 
(See Troubleshooting page for suggestions)

7.  After 48 hours, you can remove you microscope slides from your plots. When you go to take them out, take 40 more standard glass microscope slides, 20 rubber bands, 4 plastic bags (marked for each plot), 20 plastic bags for soil samples, a soil core extractor with a 2 cm diameter, and a bottle of distilled water.

8.  Carefully pull out the slides and gently rinse off the dirt with distilled water. Take two of the microscope slides you brought and place 1 on each side of the microscope slide that was in the ground to create a “sandwich”. Place all the “sandwiches” from a plot in the same plastic bag. Every time you pull out a slide, take a 15cm deep soil sample from the exact spot you took out the slide and place the sample in a marked bag.  

9.  Once all of your slides have been removed and you have taken all of your soil samples, return to the lab. Place the microscope slides in the fridge to stop the metabolism of the algae which allows you to analyze the slides later. Then, repeat the Extraction Procedure and Nitrate Test with a soil chemical test kit for the soil samples you collected. Once again, record your findings in ppm.

10.  After completing your nitrate testing, you can begin counting the algae on the microscope slides. Take only the slides that you will immediately be counting out of the fridge. Use a 40x light microscope to examine 5 fields of view (each corner and the middle of each slide). The algae on your slide will have a distinct green tint (like the picture below). Record the count for each field of view. Average the number of algae counted for each slide and then divide by 17.3 to get the number of algae per mm³, which will be your unit of measure for algae.