The thing with fieldwork in microbial ecology is how small scaled everything is. Like the mighty extremeophlic hotspring ecosystems I have read so much about. Ponds. Puddles. Little bubbling splashs of water. And when you sample them, every centimeter, millimeter, temperature difference and uncountable other factors matter.
I spent a constructive hour in the car today inventing a tool for systematic spatial gradient calibrated sampling of microbial mats. It wasn't until I proudly looked up from the paper and took in the whole view of my blueprints that I realized that I just had invented a multi pipette.
We are finished with field studies now, and are preparing for the next phase of the course - the lab work.
Wildlife spotting: Pronghorn
Wow factor: Quite high
Suck factor: Low
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