Microscopic observation archives

By considering the biomass and lifespan superiority of some microscopic beings in comparison to us human beings, we can look outside of our mammals’ bubble for a moment. Thus, we reach the bubble of decomposers, beings who make life on this planet possible, out of our sight. Without them, our world is rotten forever, since they recycle everything that was, once, alive. As well as pollinators allow plants to reproduce, decomposers transform organic matter in mineral food for plants, the basic trophic level of most ecosystems.

Diagrams sourced from The biomass distribution on Earth, Yinon M. Bar-On, Rob Phillips, Ron Milo.

They are everywhere, and we domesticated some of them to produce our own food, from cheese to bread and wine. However, as apex predators, we exist only because they sustain themselves since millions of years.

Characteristics of the microscope used for this exploration:

Microscope used for our researches.

• Type: Biological-/ Stereo-type microscope
• Model: BRESSER BioDiscover
• Year of production: 2007
• Magnification table:

Eypiece	Objective	Magnification	with Barlow lens
5x	4x	20x	40x
5x	10x	50x	100x
5x	40x	200x	400x
16x	4x	64x	128x
16x	10x	160x	320x
16x	40x	640x	1280x

November 2020 | Blue Ardenne collect

The Soft Protest Digest followed this path to explore a glimpse of the Blue Ardenne.

Context of collect	Date of collect	Date of observation	Items observed
Hike in the Blue Ardenne	16th of November 2020	January 2021	Fungi and small animals crawling in samples.

---

Observations made while hiking

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Amanita muscaria

Clavulinopsis aurantiocinnabarina

Fomes fomentarius old

Fomes fomentarius young

Polyporaceae corda

Meruliaceae

Hypoxylaceae

---

Fungi (mycelium organ) grown on mushroom

Macroscopic view of the observed sample.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Hypoxylacae conidium

Hypoxylacae and Penicillium conidiums

Tyrophagus putrescentiae

Tenebrionidae family

Beetle wing

Fungi on beetle

---

Lichen

Macroscopic view of the observed sample.

• 
• 
• 

Evernia genus lichen

Evernia genus lichen

Mushroom alveolar gills

April 2021 | Hoeve de Koeberg soil analysis

Landscape next to the pasture where the soil sampled.

Context of collect	Date of collect	Date of observation	Items observed
Soil analysis of milk providers: 1 hectare grassland next to the farm's main barn	19th of April 2021	April 2021	Microscopic fungi and animals, macroscopic insects crawling in samples.

• 
• 
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

---

Trowel sampling: 16 small 10cm deep samples

20.04-26.04 — Samples bend together in plastic bag for a total of 1kg

• All macro-animals out of the total:
  • 3 cuts of medium earthworms, 2 blacks 1 white (anecics species?)
  • 1 cut of small earthworm (epigeic species?)
  • 2 small earthworms alive, brown and pinkish (epigeic species?)
  • 1 small short earthworm alive (or medium cut?)
  • 1 Acari sp. alive

• 
• 

20.04 — 20g extracted and mixed with 100g demineralised water:

• First look right to left at 64x: no movement but lots of worm shaped things.
• Too much organic matter to get clear views: try with lower concentration.

• 
• 
• 
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• 
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• 
• 
• 

Actinobacteria x2pic

Bacterial colony x2pic

Mycelium from fungi x3pic

Nematode remains

Soil organic structure x2pic

26.04 — 10g extracted for 110g demineralised water:

• First (yellow) look right to left at 64x and 160x: no movement but good texture of organic matter.
• Second (pink) look random at 200x: lots of fungi bits and good bacterial aggregates.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Various unidentified fungi x4pic

Nematode remains

Soil organic structure

Zygomicota fungi

---

Pitfall trap: one medium jar in the middle of the pasture

Macroscopic view of the observed sample.

1. 19.04 — Dig a hole of the jar's size.
2. Put in that hole an opened jar/container filed at 1/3 with water + drop of alcool.
3. Assemble 4 wood nails with a flat plastic container lid to elevate it when lying on the floor.
4. Cover the trap with this “roof” (to prevent vertebrates to fall in) which nails will be stick in the ground.
5. Wait for 2 nights.
6. Get back the jar filed with macrofauna and store it in the fridge (6 days).

26.04 — Results:

• 26 unidentified small coleopteras all alive (3mm, oblong shape, black)
• 2 unidentified medium coleopteras, 1 alive (5-6mm, round shape, striped elytra, black)
• 1 unidentified big coleoptera (8mm, oblong shape, striped body, black)
• 3 unidentified ants of same specie (2mm, brownish)
• 2 unidentified small spiders (2-3mm, high greenish)
• 3 unidentified big coleopteras, dermaptera? (12-15mm, long body, marked head-thorax limit, black)
• 3 unidentified big spiders (7-8mm, big brownish)

• 
• 
• 

Evernia genus lichen

Evernia genus lichen

Mushroom alveolar gills

---

Baermann funnel: ongoing observations

26.04 — 50g of soil in gauze attached to the border of a funnel

1. The end of the funnel is sealed with plastic over a jar.
2. Demineralised water is poured until top fennel to let the nematodes fall in the funnel.
3. The jar is used a day later to collect the nematodes by piercing the plastic.