May 1, 2019

The Lab

I really enjoyed the lab this past week. It was my favorite part of the BioCube experience. I was primarily working on using the microscope and the motic camera to take pictures of the specimens we collected in earlier weeks. It was really cool to see the details of the organisms we had collected. Some were too small to see clearly with the naked eye so having the microscope was extremely helpful. I found myself being really excited when I got a good picture of an organism and was able to see everything closely. For example, there was a beetle I looked at under the microscope. From the more zoomed in image, I could see the distinct yellow-orange stripes on its heat and the iridescent finish to its back. Some of the pictures I took were almost beautiful because of the color. I could also more clearly see the body of some of the more branch-like insects. While we were not in the field this past week, I had more resources to help me more clearly see the biodiversity in the stream. We also had more time to truly devote to documenting the organisms and understanding how they interact with other biotic and abiotic aspects of their environment. I was especially surprised to see that many of the insects had survived being in the cold fridge for a week. I had assumed many would die, but the majority did not.
Being in the lab gave me the ability to really analyze the ecosystem and the organisms within the ecosystem more carefully. While I did miss being outdoors and in nature, I think this experience was really valuable for me and my group.

Posted on May 1, 2019 09:53 PM by hgarth hgarth | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 20, 2019

Examining Biodiversity

Last week at the farm was very informative. When we got to the BioCube we noticed that the cube was submerged. It had not been before. It had rained earlier in the week and it was clear that the water levels had changed. The cube was also in disarray. Multiple poles had disconnected from one another, probably due to the rain and high water levels.
We found many bugs in the stream. My groupmate picked water up with the cloth net and drained it away, leaving only the debris and organisms. One bug was long and oval. It had an orangey-brown color with a dark line down its sectioned back. It also had more than 6 legs and swam fast around the tupperware container we put it in. Another bug was extremely skinny, almost like a stick. It was light brown and had 6 legs. It also had a fin-like tail. Its head had two black eyes on the sides and two antennae. Another bug was similar but thicker and darker. Its tail split into two, both fin-like. It also had 6 legs and two antennae. One bug was translucent with a black line down its back and many legs. It curled up on itself in the water. One insect was a brown-green color with a sectioned back, more than 10 sections. Its tail split into three and each part ended with a sharp point. It had fin-like structures attached to its back. The last insect we observed was a spider. It was very small and dark brown. We caught it at the edge of the stream and it moved fast by the water.
We found many plants of interest by the stream and in the water. One plant that was very abundant was the skunk cabbage. There were more than 40 in a 20x20 foot area. Each cabbage was composed of a bundle of large, light green leaves and a small purple structure curled up next to the leaf. The purple structure had yellowish spots covering its waxy exterior. We found thorns everywhere on the shore next to the stream. The sticks the thorns stuck out of were red and next to the thorns on the sticks were bundles of very small green leaves. Each leaf had many lobes on its edge. Close to the ground we found small almost circular leaves. They were bundles and medium green color. They also were covered in small holes, perhaps made by an insect nearby. Near the ground, we also found a different species with different leaves. They were very waxy with almost a shiny finish. They also were arranged in a sort of flower petal pattern. The leaves at the base of the pattern were a dark green, and as they got closer to the center of the pattern the color became lighter.
As it was the last day at the farm, we made sure to bring back everything in the BioCube. Using the cloth net we retrieved water and insects from the stream in the BioCube. We also dug up the soil at the bottom of the BioCube. There were multiple plants we brought back to analyze as well. We made sure we also had the detritus from the BioCube. Using the tupperware we captured the bugs described earlier and will analyze them in the lab next week.
The day was overcast and it even rained a bit, but to my surprise my phone camera captured the biodiversity much better in the overcast lighting. I found that the images came out more clear and more detailed than they had in past weeks. I was able to capture some good pictures of certain organisms, especially the skunk cabbages. The intricacies of the cabbages really came out well in the pictures. Some of the pictures of the other plants came out really well too.
I am really excited to get into the lab next week and really analyze the specimens we collected today. I am very interested to see the biodiversity present in a western Massachusetts stream. I am also interested in looking at the stream water through a microscope, something we were unable to do in the field. I predict we will find many protists, probably primarily algae and it will be interesting to see.

Posted on April 20, 2019 10:14 PM by hgarth hgarth | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 17, 2019

Enjoying the Sounds of Nature

I really appreciated lab this past week. It was really amazing leaving the business and chaos of campus and being in nature for a prolonged period of time. I found this week, especially, that the farm was really peaceful and full of life. During the quiet time I heard frogs ribbiting and multiple different species of birds singing. It was cool to sit out in nature and really hear the communication between animals.
When we got to our BioCube we found that the water level in the stream was elevated compared to the week before. We had left the cube sticking half out of the water, but when we returned it was completely submerged. We observed the cube for a while, trying to find any organisms we could catch or plants we could take pictures of, but ultimately found that it would be a good idea to move the cube. Our initial placement was not allowing us to observe the diversity within the cube. We moved the cube across the stream and placed it where more visible life was. One of my group mates took the cloth net and grazed the water with it, ultimately catching multiple bugs. One bug had an ovular body, with a triangle head. Sticking out of its sides were two long leg-like structures it seemed to clap together while it swam. It also had a green tint to its structure. We also found a small, brown, hairy spider that seemed to thrive on the water, as its legs would quickly move back and forth to swim. Perhaps one of my favorite findings was the cattails. We found two different cattails, possibly at different stages of development, but also possibly half eaten by an animal. One of the tops of the cattail was almost ripped up, exposing the fluffy material underneath. The other had had most of its top eaten or blown off. There was also a tree right by the stream with small pine cone-like seeds on its branches. The branches were skinny and light grey, and the pine cones were a reddish-brown color and were littered all over the ground near the base of the tree. Along the river we found some moss, with dark brown and light green gametophytes forming the bed. Last week we had found skunk cabbage lining the stream, with a purple-pink cone like structure. This week we found a skunk cabbage at possibly a different stage of development. It was primarily composed of a slight bundle of a large, green, veiny leaf. It had a very pungent odor, reminiscent of skunk. We also found a branch-like plant. The stalk was brown, almost bark-like but very thin. The top of the plant split the stalk into many different stalks, all with little bundles at the end. We pulled out a low-lying green plant that was half submerged in the stream. The plant was very waxy, and the main stalk, white in color, split into three green leaves. We found a very small, larvae-like bug. It was extremely small, with a yellowish transparent color. It had many legs and would curl up on its self. Amongst all of the plants and bugs was also a very large amount of plant detritus. There were large leaves that had fallen off of nearby trees. There were also brown, flat, thin bark-like stalks everywhere. While I was not completely sure, they seemed dead.
More than last week, I found the moment of silence to be very special. I was able to listen closely to the nature surrounding me. I was even able to distinguish between different bird calls. One was a more consistent, high-pitched song, while another was much more inconsistent and had a lower tone. Even just hearing the rustling of the branches and leaves in the wind put my mind to ease. While the stream is not particularly fast-flowing, the moment of silence enabled me to hear the quiet bubbling and swaying of the stream. My group really enjoyed exploring the stream this week. We were able to walk along the stream a bit more than last week and could find more diversity than we had before. We even found a glass bottle in the soil by the stream. While at first the stream seemed hard to analyze, I have found that it is really fun catching bugs and really observing the wildlife within the area. I especially enjoy photographing the various plants on the edge of the water.

Posted on April 17, 2019 10:56 PM by hgarth hgarth | 10 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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