By Annette Coleman - 2013

Mud Samples

The following suggestions are based on correlations, not proofs.

Zygotes of Volvocaceae store lipid globules, and float.  After a mass mating, zygotes coat the water surface and can be washed/blown up onto the shore.  Mass mating is usually about two weeks after seasonal highwater.  Therefore, the region of high water mark downward for a ways is the best source of mud/soil with zygotes.

A few teaspoons of soil scrapings can be stowed in a plastic bag with a label.  Leave this open for 2-3 days to dry out, flattening the mud to hasten the process.  Then seal the bag and ship.

Collecting sites

Experience suggests that soft water areas are less likely (except for V. aureus).

Cow ponds and pig ponds are fine.

Reservoirs seem to be increasingly optimal sites.  For these, and backwaters  or flood plains of rivers, only the eye can guess the best spots. If there is a dam or a single outlet, try the banks just upstream.

In flatland areas, a good eye for the local drainage basin (the last place to dry up in summer) may suggest the best site.