Repeat this procedure for all 10 trees. Other Tardigarde Sampling Students collect samples of lichens from the bark of area trees. The samples are taken to the classroom and submerged in water to reanimate the tardigrades living in the lichens. The exercise provides students the opportunity to make basic ecological calculations and introduces the concept of diversity. The following procedure will be helpful in collecting lichens for use in tardigrade sampling.
Lichens are sensitive slow growing organisms.
Collection should be limited to necessary samples. The lichens should be collected from the same 10 trees used for the lichen coverage study, but not from the transect area. Some samples will be easily collected while others will require that the bark of the tree be collected also. The student should record the tree identification number. Each lichen sample should have it's own Petri dish.