Greetings wormsters,
Has anyone used, or seen reported, the muddy-sediment sampling
technique called 'anoxic mat' or 'carpet-of-death'? It is being used by a
group of students at the university to sample invertebrates in the very
diverse mangrove areas around Darwin. Basically the method involves
placing a sheet of heavy plastic (cut to a standard size) over the sediment
surface for about 24 hours, thus rendering underlying sediments
anaerobic. Animals are drawn to the surface under the plastic and can be
easily collected. The method seems to be particularly good for collecting
polychaetes in the muddy intertidal, esp. mangrove areas, where root mats
and very fine sediment make digging and sieving difficult. I was sure such
a simple collection method must have been reported before in the
polychaete literature, but my initial search attempts revealed nothing.
Chris
Dr Chris Glasby
Curator of Worms
Natural Sciences
Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
GPO Box 4646
Darwin NT 0801
AUSTRALIA
Email: chris.glasby at nt.gov.au
Ph: +61-8-8999 8108
Fax: +61-8-8999 8289
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