How to collect plankton sample from pond

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Plankton

• Plankton (singular plankter) are diverse collection of organisms that live on large bodies of water and unable to swim against current.
• The plankton consists of floating organisms. Most of these minute organisms are confined to the euphotic zone.

Process of collection

Plankton samples we were collected at sampling spot in a perennial fish pond of Dumka (Jharkhand) known as Khuta Bandh. Samples were collected through a plankton net (bolting silk no.25 and mess size 0.03-0.04 mm). The collected sample we preserve in 4% formalin for subsequent qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The qualitative and quantitative plankton and zooplankton were made with the help of micro transact method prescribed by Edmonson 1974. The concentration of plankton, we thoroughly mixed then 1 drop of it was put on clean slide by a dropper (1 drop = 0.1 ml) and covered with 22×22 mm glass coverslip. Counting of the organisms under the microscope. We are made in 5 strips along the length and width of the coverslip, subsequently 5 such drops were examined the width of bright field light microscope field was measured with the help of stage and ocular micrometer. Each transact will represent a definite fraction of the area under coverslip. Hence, a definite volume of the sample. The number of the plankton (phytoplankton and zooplankton) per drop can be calculated as follows-

Total no. of plankton per drop of water = area of coverslip × average no. of plankton per transact ÷ area of transact

No. of plankton per ml = ? (mine was 55)

No. of plankton per drop × 20

Area of transact = 1.45 mm

Area of coverslip = 22 × 22 mm

No. of plankton per liter (unit per liter, u/l) may be calculated by following formula-

No. of plankton per liter = a × v ÷ V

Where,

          a = no. of plankton per ml

          v = volume of concentration

          V = volume of water filtered through net ( Hence, πr ² × l )

          r = radius of plankton net ring

          l = column of water hault

So, we had v = 5.0 ml

Volume of concentration examined = 0.5 ml

The number of plankton unit/liter was then examined.