Want to get a taste of our research and/or do some volunteering work?

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Interested in small invertebrates?  I could use one or more volunteers to take censuses of small invertebrates living in my 12 mesocosms and give me approximate densities of Rotifers, Planaria, Nematodes, Oligochaetes, Copepods and other tiny animals, as well as diatoms.

I have 12 mesocosms (3m x 1.5m by 0.5m deep) with guppies in them under 3 light conditions.  A preliminary study indicates divergence in the meiofauna living on and in the gravel.  I would like to know just how much divergence has occurred in the meiofauna and meioflora communities at random (within

replicates) and as a result of living in different light conditions, which would favour different algae species and hence divergent “trophic cascades”.  The different communities would also have interesting effects on the guppies, particularly carotenoids and colour patterns.

This would require taking some gravel (with water) out of each tank and examining it in a petri dish under a dissecting microscope and perhaps a regular microscope as well.  This is for someone who loves invertebrates and would enjoy this sort of thing.  Watch out, it is sometimes addicting!

 If you are interested, please email  John.Endler@deakin.edu.au

 [for context, I will be teaching SLE372 Evolutionary Ecology in T1].

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If you are interested in the work of other CIE members and wonder if they might have something available for you, please feel free to contact us.