We have made it through part 1 of our project, and are moving to part 2. We've made a few adjustments, but are making progress!
PART 1: Tree Species Identification and Mapping
PART 2: Tardigrade Research and Data Collection
Our original experimental question was this:
Does the tree species affect the biodiversity of tardigrades, nematodes and rotifers found in lichen and moss?
We had four different tree species:
Youpon
Cedar Elm
Gray Oak
Texas Oak
We collected at the base and 5 ft up on each tree. However, we weren't finding much/if any lichen at the base. The numbers of our critters found were low, and I think that was due to lack of lichen.
THEN TODAY HAPPENED! IT'S VERY EXCITING! My FIFTH GRADERS ARE NOW FINDING TARDIGRADES! It's been raining a lot lately, so moss and lichen have been creeping more and more onto our Grey Oak tress on campus. There was a storm last night, and it made a very large branch break and fall to the ground. In the morning, we found it, and it was COVERED in moss AND lichen. It's from the tree tops instead of 5 ft or at the base, but since it had so much lichen and moss on it, we just had to take it in and start scraping away and plopping samples in water. (Question- Would I refer to this branch being from the canopy? Our campus is clearly not a rainforest, and it isn't 150 ft up. But this branch is from the highest part of our trees. Not sure how to describe where we got the sample from the tree).
Anyway, I wondered if you knew.. I'm not sure if the biodiversity was so much better with this sample because it was from the tree tops or that it's rained alot or what, but branch provided us with incredible biodiversity. We not only found many nematodes and rotifers, but several of my students found taridgrades on their own. I didn't have to find the little water bears for them. Up till now, I've had to do the combing through.
THIS IS SO EXCITING! We filmed a short little video and thought you'd like to see it:
FIFTH GRADERS FIND TARDIGRADES VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X_UUNygQQg
Also, here is our results, just from today and only one tree:
GREY OAK SAMPLE FROM TREE TOPS
2/22/18
PART 1: Tree Species Identification and Mapping
- Learn about tardigrades and other microscopic animals like nematodes and rotifers.
- Learn how to identify plant species. (learn how to use a dichotomous key and iNaturalist to assist with identification)
- Determine tree species on campus
- Collect leaf samples, fruit, berries, or nuts and identify physical properties
- Learn about Longitude/Latitude and how to read a map
- Geo-locate each tree with GPS, give them a number (name)
- Develop a map of the trees on campus using a key.
- Collect moss and lichen from the ground level (within 1 ft from the soil) and breast height (5ft)
- Measure the diameter of each tree at breast height. Officially called DBH (Diameter at Breast Height).
PART 2: Tardigrade Research and Data Collection
- Research tardigrades (much more in depth look at different species, body parts and functions, how to identify, survival techniques, behavioral and structural adaptations)
- Collect moss at each of the sample tree species at the base and five feet up on the trees
- Set the moss in water for 1-2 hours and then search for tardigrades, nematodes, and rotifers in water samples
- Collect data and search for answers to experimental question
- Count the different types of microscopic animals found in each sample ---- this is where we are at now!
Our original experimental question was this:
Does the tree species affect the biodiversity of tardigrades, nematodes and rotifers found in lichen and moss?
We had four different tree species:
Youpon
Cedar Elm
Gray Oak
Texas Oak
We collected at the base and 5 ft up on each tree. However, we weren't finding much/if any lichen at the base. The numbers of our critters found were low, and I think that was due to lack of lichen.
THEN TODAY HAPPENED! IT'S VERY EXCITING! My FIFTH GRADERS ARE NOW FINDING TARDIGRADES! It's been raining a lot lately, so moss and lichen have been creeping more and more onto our Grey Oak tress on campus. There was a storm last night, and it made a very large branch break and fall to the ground. In the morning, we found it, and it was COVERED in moss AND lichen. It's from the tree tops instead of 5 ft or at the base, but since it had so much lichen and moss on it, we just had to take it in and start scraping away and plopping samples in water. (Question- Would I refer to this branch being from the canopy? Our campus is clearly not a rainforest, and it isn't 150 ft up. But this branch is from the highest part of our trees. Not sure how to describe where we got the sample from the tree).
Anyway, I wondered if you knew.. I'm not sure if the biodiversity was so much better with this sample because it was from the tree tops or that it's rained alot or what, but branch provided us with incredible biodiversity. We not only found many nematodes and rotifers, but several of my students found taridgrades on their own. I didn't have to find the little water bears for them. Up till now, I've had to do the combing through.
THIS IS SO EXCITING! We filmed a short little video and thought you'd like to see it:
FIFTH GRADERS FIND TARDIGRADES VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X_UUNygQQg
Also, here is our results, just from today and only one tree:
GREY OAK SAMPLE FROM TREE TOPS
2/22/18
TOTAL FOUND IN GREY OAK SAMPLE: 53
TOTAL TARDIGRADES FOUND: 9
Note about the above data chart: All animals were found by fifth graders. Study has been focusing on samples found at base of tree and five feet up on tree trunk from 4 different tree species. However, a very large branch covered in lichen and moss fell from the top of our Grey Oak sample tree after a storm. This provided access to branches we otherwise could not have reached. The biodiversity was MUCH GREATER!
My students are better at spotting them then I am! One girl looked for 5 minutes and found her first ever! And she was the first one out of any students to find one. She was SO HAPPY! When I first started looking, I had to look for hours! Crazy! Maybe we need kids to help find animals in microscopes more often! Their eyes are impressive!
The sample numbers above are actually all from the same large tree branch, but different sections of it (some lichen and some moss.) For research and data collection, do you think we should continue separating results out like that, or is it all clumped into just one sample since its from one tree and one part of the tree? I find it interesting that sample 4 and 6 had such high biodiversity.
I also find it interesting that most of the samples that have low numbers were from the moss on that branch, not the lichen. The lichen is what is housing more little critters it seems. Not sure if that is just because we are still learning how to find them, or if they really do like living in lichen more than moss. A lot of times, we don't have much moss in Austin, but on our campus, during this rainy time, we do. I asked Randy what he thought because I'm interested to know if there is a difference in biodiversity and density looking at lichen vs. moss, and is that also different depending on the biome?
Question- Because we are having such trouble finding much/if any lichen or moss at the base of the tree, (we've only had one successful day of finding critters from the base), should we change to a new/different quesiton?
We could either do:
Are there more tardigades, nematodes and rotifers found at the tops of trees, or on the trunks of trees?
OR
Are there more tardigrades, nematodes and rotifers found in lichen or moss.
3 out of the 4 tree samples we originally chose have little to no lichen so it's proven challenging. We are really only finding animals and an abundance of lichen and moss on Grey Oak trees.
We may need to word it differently, but because this sample was SO MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE, I would love to get more samples from higher up. We have a ladder and I could potentially get samples from higher up... I'm thinking of how.
PONDERINGS: I wonder what the age is of the youngest person to find a tardigrade? I feel like we could hold the world record! I don't know of many/if any 10 year olds that know about tardigrades, let alone are able to find them on their own....
TOTAL TARDIGRADES FOUND: 9
Note about the above data chart: All animals were found by fifth graders. Study has been focusing on samples found at base of tree and five feet up on tree trunk from 4 different tree species. However, a very large branch covered in lichen and moss fell from the top of our Grey Oak sample tree after a storm. This provided access to branches we otherwise could not have reached. The biodiversity was MUCH GREATER!
My students are better at spotting them then I am! One girl looked for 5 minutes and found her first ever! And she was the first one out of any students to find one. She was SO HAPPY! When I first started looking, I had to look for hours! Crazy! Maybe we need kids to help find animals in microscopes more often! Their eyes are impressive!
The sample numbers above are actually all from the same large tree branch, but different sections of it (some lichen and some moss.) For research and data collection, do you think we should continue separating results out like that, or is it all clumped into just one sample since its from one tree and one part of the tree? I find it interesting that sample 4 and 6 had such high biodiversity.
I also find it interesting that most of the samples that have low numbers were from the moss on that branch, not the lichen. The lichen is what is housing more little critters it seems. Not sure if that is just because we are still learning how to find them, or if they really do like living in lichen more than moss. A lot of times, we don't have much moss in Austin, but on our campus, during this rainy time, we do. I asked Randy what he thought because I'm interested to know if there is a difference in biodiversity and density looking at lichen vs. moss, and is that also different depending on the biome?
Question- Because we are having such trouble finding much/if any lichen or moss at the base of the tree, (we've only had one successful day of finding critters from the base), should we change to a new/different quesiton?
We could either do:
Are there more tardigades, nematodes and rotifers found at the tops of trees, or on the trunks of trees?
OR
Are there more tardigrades, nematodes and rotifers found in lichen or moss.
3 out of the 4 tree samples we originally chose have little to no lichen so it's proven challenging. We are really only finding animals and an abundance of lichen and moss on Grey Oak trees.
We may need to word it differently, but because this sample was SO MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE, I would love to get more samples from higher up. We have a ladder and I could potentially get samples from higher up... I'm thinking of how.
PONDERINGS: I wonder what the age is of the youngest person to find a tardigrade? I feel like we could hold the world record! I don't know of many/if any 10 year olds that know about tardigrades, let alone are able to find them on their own....