Fourth Lab Journal
During this final lab, we had all of our samples back in the lab classroom and we were instructed to analyze, photograph, and observe all of our samples. We didn't find too many organisms in the mud and water we had collected from our BioCube location. We did photograph all of the individual organisms we found and captured in our small Tupperware containers. Within these individual organisms, we photographed and observed some kind of beetle, a shell, multiple different plants, as well as what appeared to be a worm or caterpillar. We measured all of these animals using a ruler, and we included the ruler for reference sizing in our observations and pictures. Most of the organisms we found (shell, beetles, worm/caterpillar) were about 1 cm long, with the plants and earthworms being longer.
We also decided to try and observe our water and mud samples using a microscope to see if there were any protists or smaller organisms that would be visible. We prepared three different slides of the water and mud and used a dissecting microscope. However, we were unable to really see any protists or small organisms in these samples. The mud was too dark to see through and the microscope didn't focus well enough to observe anything in the water. If I had to guess, I'd say without a doubt there are some really cool microbes living in the water, but that observation might have to wait for another swamp team to find.
Most of the sampled organisms we had in our containers were dead during this lab period. The earthworms were the only animals really living but they actually ended up dying during the lab period, likely because they had dried out while exposed to the air and not in their watery and muddy natural environment.
Overall, it was really interesting to go through all of our samples from the swamp now that we were back in the lab. We really had more of the tools to observe and analyze our samples, and we could use the microscope to get some of the really finer details. For example, the earthworms under the microscope had very ridged bodies, with small nub-like legs or hairs protruding from the bottom of the worm. Those details were something we couldn't see just with the naked eye. Or I couldn't at least since I didn't have my glasses on.
I'm definitely going to miss being on the farm, but I probably won't miss the muddiness. Having the opportunity to go to the farm and observe nature and see what kind of biodiversity is really out there was a fantastic experience and I'm really glad that BioTAP got to do it. I saw a lot of things I don't think I expected and I learned a really significant amount about how diverse the swamp really can be. So overall, this was a really neat experience and I got to really see the levels of biodiversity present all around us.
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