Patent Document ID: 20100159502
Application ID: 12693029
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for environmental monitoring and bioprospecting for microorganisms within a specified environment, said method comprising the steps of: locating a testing device in said environment, wherein said device comprises a container having a fluid inlet, said container configured to allow fluid flow into said inlet, on a path through said container, for in situ use in said environment, a plurality of capillary microcosms situated within said container, each of said capillaries comprising a capillary inlet and outlet that are configured so as to allow for fluid flow on a path through said capillaries from an inlet end to an outlet end while retaining microorganisms within the microcosms defined by the container, wherein flow is regulated through each of said capillaries, collecting microorganisms that are indigenous to said environment when fluid from said environment is allowed to flow through said capillary, allowing fluid from said environment to flow though said container and capillaries, leaving said device in said environment for a temporal duration sufficient to collect a microorganism within said capillary microcosms, retrieving said testing device, and analyzing fluid that has flowed through said capillary microcosms.